“I love myself unconditionally.”
“I am worthy of love, joy and happiness.”
“I am strong, capable and resilient.”
“I breathe in relaxation and breathe out tension.”
Self-affirmations might seem sappy, but they can they contribute to people’s happiness and well-being, according to a new evidence review.
Such affirmations provide a boost to people’s self-esteem and confidence, while also reducing negative emotions like anxiety and anger, researchers recently reported in the journal American Psychologist.
Moreover, the benefits of self-affirmations can last for days and even weeks, researchers found.
“Even brief, low-cost self-affirmation exercises can yield significant psychological benefits in terms of enhancing personal and social well-being,” senior researcher Minhong (Maggie) Wang, a professor at the University of Hong Kong, said in a news release. “More importantly, these benefits are both immediate and long-lasting.”
Self-affirmation exercises work by reminding people of their inner strengths and act as a buffer against external threats and worries, researchers said in background notes.
For the review, researchers analyzed data from 129 published studies on self-affirmation exercises, involving nearly 17,800 people. Of the studies, 78 occurred in the United States.
Overall, self-affirmations were good for people’s well-being, self-perception and sense of self-worth, researchers said. These effects persisted among people, with an average follow-up time of nearly two weeks across the studies.
Self-affirmations were found to be most powerful among adults compared to teenagers. Likewise, Americans tended to benefit more from self-affirmations than Asians or Europeans.
“The findings advocate for integrating self-affirmation strategies into well-being programs, particularly in schools and universities,” Wang said.
“Educators and parents can use self-affirmation strategies to provide immediate psychological support to help students navigate challenges and build resilience in difficult situations,” Wang said. “These strategies can foster individual and social well-being as well as strengthen social connections within communities.”
More information
The Cleveland Clinic has more on self-affirmations.
SOURCE: American Psychological Association, news release, Oct. 27, 2025
Source: HealthDay
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