Positive mantras reduce self esteem

Muhammad Hassan · 07-04-2009, 03:30 AM

Research has been done which shows that saying positive mantras may not help all people. It only helps those who have good self esteem and not those who have low self esteem. In fact for those with low self esteem it actually makes it worse.

Read all about it here: BBC NEWS | Health | Self-help 'makes you feel worse'

Hasan Barbary · 07-04-2009, 04:16 AM

You must be a mind reader... I was just going to post this very article! lol

It's indeed a fascinating study, and for me raises more questions than answers. But intuitively, I've stayed far away from such self-help tactics, regardless of my mood.

I have NEVER found any collection of mantras to resonate with me. In my late teens & early twenties, I tried everything: positive affirmations, auto-hypnosis, lucid dreaming, etc. They always threw me "off balance".

Imho, what we all really need is to be appreciated & admired once in awhile by our peers & colleagues. That tells me my hard efforts have some objective value. The trick is to keep going in the absence of short-term positive feedback. Maybe that determination is a marker that seperates those of us with healthy amounts of self-esteem from those that suffer from a lack of it.

All I know for certain is that spending money on these kinds of materials isn't going to add any more funds to my bank account.

I distinguish the "warm & fuzzy" type of self-help books mentioned in the BBC story from more concrete titles dealing with productivity, time management, leadership, team building, etc.

Muhammad Hassan · 07-04-2009, 06:24 AM

I think it has to do with disturbing the brain. The brain has an idea (not necessarily correct) about what type of person you are. If it gets information that the person is not like how the brain perceives then it causes problems for the brain. I think the term is dissonance.

The brain struggles to accept ideas that conflict with what it already believes. To stop the 'pain' it just ignores the new ideas and thus perpetuates the old ideas.

A better approach I think would be to use a series of mantras. Starting from 'weak' mantras that are close to what the person actually thinks leading to 'strong' mantras.

For example, 'I am liked by some people' to 'I am a lovable person'.

D89 · 07-04-2009, 06:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muhammad Hassan

The brain struggles to accept ideas that conflict with what it already believes. To stop the 'pain' it just ignores the new ideas and thus perpetuates the old ideas.

A better approach I think would be to use a series of mantras. Starting from 'weak' mantras that are close to what the person actually thinks leading to 'strong' mantras.

For example, 'I am liked by some people' to 'I am a lovable person'.

Yes you are so very correct. Its a gradual thing! You can't go from stage 1 to stage 5 in one shot.

But you have to be consistant with taking yourself through the levels by doing the work daily. Otherwise the mind goes back to its original way of being.

It's like trying to stretch a rubberband.

Hasan Barbary · 07-04-2009, 07:33 AM

It would be helpful to know a bit more about the demographics of the study participants, especially their ages.

The brain is a marvelous and adaptive organ, but it will atrophy if not regularly stimulated in appropriate ways. To follow up on the rubber band analogy ~ older brains are less flexible, more brittle, just like old rubber bands.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a correlation between the ages of the study volunteer and his/her resistance to a "dissonant" mantra.

The crude popular idiom says that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks". Harsh, but (mostly) true?

clubvikram · 07-06-2009, 12:54 AM

I agree with mohammad to program our subconcious mind we need to go from weak to strong.we should indeed start with some thing really 'believable' which our brain could acknowledge and from there on feed it accordingly.

L33tProgrammer · 07-06-2009, 03:09 AM

Interesting indeeeed.

torozo · 07-06-2009, 05:27 AM

Hmm.. never thinked before. Useful information. Thanks.

gapsapman · 07-06-2009, 07:13 PM

good stuff, also affirm my belief that not all people are suited for self help programs or products and may actually backfire.

07-04-2009, 03:30 AM	#1
Muhammad Hassan HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Bolton, UK Posts: 138 Thanks: 66 Thanked 289 Times in 32 Posts	Positive mantras reduce self esteem Research has been done which shows that saying positive mantras may not help all people. It only helps those who have good self esteem and not those who have low self esteem. In fact for those with low self esteem it actually makes it worse. Read all about it here: BBC NEWS \| Health \| Self-help 'makes you feel worse'
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07-04-2009, 04:16 AM	#2
Hasan Barbary WordSmith & VoiceOver Guy Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 64 Thanks: 16 Thanked 9 Times in 7 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Positive mantras can lower self esteem You must be a mind reader... I was just going to post this very article! lol It's indeed a fascinating study, and for me raises more questions than answers. But intuitively, I've stayed far away from such self-help tactics, regardless of my mood. I have NEVER found any collection of mantras to resonate with me. In my late teens & early twenties, I tried everything: positive affirmations, auto-hypnosis, lucid dreaming, etc. They always threw me "off balance". Imho, what we all really need is to be appreciated & admired once in awhile by our peers & colleagues. That tells me my hard efforts have some objective value. The trick is to keep going in the absence of short-term positive feedback. Maybe that determination is a marker that seperates those of us with healthy amounts of self-esteem from those that suffer from a lack of it. All I know for certain is that spending money on these kinds of materials isn't going to add any more funds to my bank account. I distinguish the "warm & fuzzy" type of self-help books mentioned in the BBC story from more concrete titles dealing with productivity, time management, leadership, team building, etc.
	SEO Savvy Ghostwriting ~ Native English speaker, Ivy-League educated Writer. Technical topics my specialty. All orders of $20+ receive a FREE mp3 Voiceover (up to 5 minutes). Great for podcasts! Last edited by Hasan Barbary; 07-04-2009 at 04:18 AM. Reason: typos

07-04-2009, 06:24 AM	#3
Muhammad Hassan HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Bolton, UK Posts: 138 Thanks: 66 Thanked 289 Times in 32 Posts	Re: Positive mantras can lower self esteem I think it has to do with disturbing the brain. The brain has an idea (not necessarily correct) about what type of person you are. If it gets information that the person is not like how the brain perceives then it causes problems for the brain. I think the term is dissonance. The brain struggles to accept ideas that conflict with what it already believes. To stop the 'pain' it just ignores the new ideas and thus perpetuates the old ideas. A better approach I think would be to use a series of mantras. Starting from 'weak' mantras that are close to what the person actually thinks leading to 'strong' mantras. For example, 'I am liked by some people' to 'I am a lovable person'.
	► 595,566 Profitable Products Ideas ★ Instantly Know What Problems People Are Desperate To Get Rid Of

07-04-2009, 07:33 AM	#5
Hasan Barbary WordSmith & VoiceOver Guy Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Philadelphia, PA Posts: 64 Thanks: 16 Thanked 9 Times in 7 Posts Social Networking Contact Info	Re: Positive mantras reduce self esteem It would be helpful to know a bit more about the demographics of the study participants, especially their ages. The brain is a marvelous and adaptive organ, but it will atrophy if not regularly stimulated in appropriate ways. To follow up on the rubber band analogy ~ older brains are less flexible, more brittle, just like old rubber bands. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a correlation between the ages of the study volunteer and his/her resistance to a "dissonant" mantra. The crude popular idiom says that "you can't teach an old dog new tricks". Harsh, but (mostly) true?
	SEO Savvy Ghostwriting ~ Native English speaker, Ivy-League educated Writer. Technical topics my specialty. All orders of $20+ receive a FREE mp3 Voiceover (up to 5 minutes). Great for podcasts!

07-06-2009, 12:54 AM	#6
clubvikram HyperActive Warrior War Room Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: , , . Posts: 242 Thanks: 10 Thanked 13 Times in 12 Posts	Re: Positive mantras reduce self esteem I agree with mohammad to program our subconcious mind we need to go from weak to strong.we should indeed start with some thing really 'believable' which our brain could acknowledge and from there on feed it accordingly.
	Keeping a good attitude is like Kudzu, it spreads!

07-06-2009, 03:09 AM	#7
L33tProgrammer Warrior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 9 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Positive mantras reduce self esteem Interesting indeeeed.
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07-06-2009, 05:27 AM	#8
torozo Warrior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 20 Thanks: 2 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: Positive mantras reduce self esteem Hmm.. never thinked before. Useful information. Thanks.
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07-06-2009, 07:13 PM	#9
gapsapman Warrior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Posts: 10 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post	Re: Positive mantras reduce self esteem good stuff, also affirm my belief that not all people are suited for self help programs or products and may actually backfire.