Positive thinking is indeed potent, but not always in the fashion that its advocates claim, Joanne V. Wood and two coauthors argue in Psychological Science (July). In a series of studies, they found that the effect of positive thinking depends on an individual’s self-esteem. Subjects with high self-esteem felt a bit better after repeating the statement “I’m a lovable person.” For subjects with low self-esteem, by contrast, the mantra produced a worse mood and a lower self-evaluation. “I’m a lovable person” seemed to remind them just how unlovable they felt. “Outlandish, unreasonably positive self-statements, such as ‘I accept myself completely,’ are often encouraged by self-help books,” Wood and colleagues write. “Our results suggest that such self-statements may harm the very people they are designed for: people low in self-esteem.” Feeling unlovable? Just go with it.
Source: The Wilson Quarterly (Autumn2009)
Subjects: Articles & Links, Psychology | Behavior
