Did you also grow up hearing the phrase “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” ? What bullshit! Words are incredibly powerful, and often tend to hurt more than something physical. Regardless of the impact of words, we tend to speak to and about ourselves in an incredibly pessimistic way, much more harshly than we ever would a friend. This negative self-talk has more influence than you may realize, with the potential to affect many different aspects of your life. Confidence comes from within, and this statement is not only figuratively true, but scientifically true as well. Your inner dialogue has the power to manipulate the way you think about yourself. Affirmations are a helpful tool in changing this inner dialogue. While affirmations didn’t become recognized as useful for personal development until the 19th century, the concept of influential thinking dates back to the 17th Century, as indicated by the famous Descartes quote: “I think therefore I am.”
The brain regions involving reward and positive valuation are the ventral striatum (VS) and the ventral medial prefrontal cortex. These areas are the same reward centers that respond to other pleasurable experiences such as eating delicious food. The reward center fires dopamine neurons from primary rewards such as good food, but also more abstract rewards like confidence. A research article from the Association of Psychological Science states, “The VS is a key region in the mesolimbic dopamine reward pathway, which suggests that affirming important personal values is rewarding and may lead to a cascade of effects associated with reward processing.” Reward based learning is centered around the idea of reinforcement, which leads to psychological and behavioral changes.
Reflection of personal values during affirmation activates neural reward pathways and engages regions of the brain associated with positive valuation and self-related processing. Affirmations are a reminder that self identity isn’t about perfection, but instead a global narrative that has flexibility within definitions of self and success. This broader view of self can allow individuals to move beyond threats to self-competence or self-integrity
Affirmations can be used in any situation that needs a positive life change. It increases self-esteem, motivation, confidence, diminishes negativity or anxiety, and improves productivity. Similar to building muscle in the gym, affirmations require consistency and patience to see results. Epigenetics is defined as “the study of changes in organisms caused by modification of gene expression rather than alteration of the genetic code itself.” This confirms the idea that your perceptions and thoughts have the power to influence what input your genes receive. A HuffPost article explains, “As a thought travels through your brain, neurons fire together in distinctive ways based on the specific information being handled, and those patterns of neural activity actually change your neural structure.” You have the power to manipulate and change your genetic readout to be more positive and productive; As you input more positivity, the output of your genes becomes more positive.
Effectively reciting affirmations involves reflecting upon your most important personal values and practicing accepting praise that aligns with this true narrative. Natalie Dattilo, a clinical psychologist with Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston explains; “This is about accurately and authentically encouraging yourself or using words of encouragement or acknowledgment that are consistent with your truth.” Daily affirmations can feel really awkward, especially in the beginning. It may feel overwhelming on how to start, but your affirmations are unique to you, your experiences, and personal things you want to work on. Reflect upon yourself, your core values and specific things you want to achieve. Create a phrase or mantra that embodies these things and get into the habit of reciting your affirmations 10 times, twice a day (or more if you can/want). I like to practice affirmations when I wake up and go to bed, therefore beginning and ending my day with positive thinking. You are in control of the way you choose to think about yourself, and ultimately present yourself to the world. Embrace the sovereignty you possess over your mind and confidence and allow yourself to flourish within the possibilities of defining self.
Sources
https://www.healthandhumanperformancelab.com/_files/ugd/b30fc8_53e1f971c6164c50af2b1ccf27d9eb68.pdf
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/how-your-thoughts-change-your-brain-cells-and-genes_b_9516176