Thread by @gaialect

i need to work on my selftalk. the language i use w/ myself is important. it affects the way my brain perceives the world & thru affirmations i’m teaching my brain to view things in a different way. there’s psychological & neuroscience research supporting the use of affirmations.

apparently for affirmations to work they have to be used regularly & the more specific they are, the better. the goal is to really train your brain to feel as if it’s prepared and capable of anything & powerhouse for growth, adaptation & understanding.

according to cascio & colleagues in a study done in 2016, there is MRI evidence that suggest that certain neural pathways are increased when people practice self-affirmation tasks. specifically, the ventromedial prefrontal cortex which is involved in positive evaluation &

self-related information processing becomes more active when we consider our personal values (Falk et al., 2015; Cascio et al., 2016). The results of this study suggest that when we practice positive affirmations, we tend to view “otherwise-threatening information as

more self-relevant and valuable” (2015: 1979). the implications of this study relate to how we are better able to not only adapt but also process information about ourselves.

here are 6 examples of evidence from empirical studies that suggest that positive self-affirmation practices can be beneficial:

1. Self-affirmations have been shown to decrease health-deteriorating stress (Sherman et al., 2009; Critcher & Dunning, 2015);

2. Self-affirmations have been used effectively in interventions that led people to increase their physical behavior (Cooke et al., 2014);

3. They can make us less likely to dismiss harmful health messages, responding instead with the intention to change for the better (Harris et al., 2007) and to eat more fruit and vegetables (Epton & Harris, 2008);

4. Self-affirmation has been demonstrated to lower stress and rumination (Koole et al., 1999; Weisenfeld et al., 2001).

5. They have been linked positively to academic achievement by mitigating GPA decline in students who feel left out at college (Layous et al., 2017);

6. Self-affirmations have been used effectively in interventions that led people to increase their physical behavior (Cooke et al., 2014);

according to psychotherapist dr. alexander, affirmations can be repeated up to 3-5 times daily to reinforce positive belief. writing your affirmations down in a journal & practicing them in the mirror is a good method for making them more powerful & effective (Alexander, 2011).

you can read more about all of this here positivepsychology.com/daily-affirmat… hope you enjoyed and this changes your outlook on the power of affirmations and positive self talk 🤍😌