Some research suggests positive affirmations can have benefits for mental health and general well-being. Sam Zand, DO, a clinical psychiatrist based in Boise, Idaho, points to neuroplasticity as one explanation for the potential health benefits of affirmations. Neuroplasticity is the brain’s ability to create new patterns and adapt, per an article published in Frontiers in Psychology in October 2017.
If we practice affirmations every single day, we may be able to create new pathways in the brain, explains Dr. Zand. It is similar to muscle memory: Instead of flexing our very negative thought processes, we instead create a habit of flexing a more balanced and positive self-view. “I would call affirmations a neuroplastic habit,” he says.
Here are some other potential benefits.
Affirmations Can Boost Your Sense of Self
In a small randomized controlled trial, researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to better understand how affirmations affected internal processing and reward systems in the brain. They found that participants who used positive affirmations reflecting their values had more activity in the reward center of their brains (neural processes associated with positive self-view and self-competence) than those who didn’t.
Affirmations Can Help With Behavior Change
Research suggests that affirmations can support people who are trying to make positive behavioral changes (like following a healthy diet plan, limiting alcohol intake, or limiting caffeine intake), according to a meta-analysis of 144 studies.
Affirmations Can Help You Perform Under Stress
Affirmations could also improve your ability to problem-solve while under stress. In one randomized controlled study, participants who repeated an affirmation related to a value they saw in themselves (like creativity, independence, or sense of humor) performed better in a stressful word-association problem-solving task than those who repeated an affirmation related to a value they didn’t consider important to them.
In Yeager’s real-world experience as a psychotherapist for the Detroit Pistons, he uses affirmations with NBA players to help them remove the opportunity for negativity to set in during a game. For example, an affirmation may help an athlete improve their game or rebound from a play that didn’t go so well.
“I talk to players a lot about how, when you’re in the game and something negative happens, you turn the ball over,” he says. He’s not talking about the basketball itself; you reframe the way you see the situation, he explains. The athlete might have their own personal affirmation, or Yeager might suggest using this one: “I was built for this. I’m not worried.”
Finally, while affirmations can help in all these ways, they are not a substitute for professional treatment if you need it. If you’re experiencing persistent feelings of anxiety, depression, low self-esteem, self-doubt, or stress, the Cleveland Clinic advises talking to a mental health professional who can help.
