The Science Behind the Power of Affirmations

Lots of people are using positive affirmations in their daily life to help them reach their goals. But affirmations are more than motivational slogans. There is plenty of scientific evidence to show how and why affirmations work on your subconscious mind. There are even health benefits to using affirmations!

The research that supports the use of affirmations tends to fall into two camps: psychological theory and neuroscience.

Affirmations and Your Identity - Self-affirmation Theory

Most forms of psychological therapy or counseling are based on the idea that you can improve your mental health by changing your view of yourself. You can change the script about who you are and bolster your self-esteem by acknowledging and focusing on your positive aspects to become more confident about your capabilities.

Self-affirmation theory asserts that your self-identity is flexible and that you can change your view of yourself as a person. This means you can choose to see yourself as strong, smart, and capable of doing whatever you want. And this is where affirmations that align with your personal values can be particularly powerful.

Affirmations and Your Brain

There is increasing research that shows the physical impact of affirmations on the structure of your brain. When you practice positive affirmations, you are introducing new concepts to your brain and opening up new neural pathways. This is what helps to change your mindset from negative self-doubt to positive confidence. Scientists have mapped the changes that occur in the brain when we choose to move to a more optimistic frame of mind, building, and reinforcing those neural pathways.

When you think about your own personal values, you are activating the part of your prefrontal cortex that is involved in self-related processing of information and positive valuation. Repeating your affirmations regularly throughout your day keeps activating this part of your brain, reinforcing positive self-identity.

Affirmations and Your Health

Science has also proved some surprising physical health benefits of practicing positive affirmations.

Daily practice of affirmations has a measurable impact on your resilience and how well you deal with stress. As well as having a positive effect on depression and anxiety, regular and consistent use of affirmations can help lower your levels of cortisol and adrenaline, both harmful stress hormones. As your stress response declines, your heart rate and blood pressure will decrease, reducing your risk of stroke and heart attack. People who use affirmations are also more likely to lead healthier lifestyles, exercise more, and eat a healthy diet.

Science shows us that we have nothing to lose and everything to gain by using positive affirmations daily.