The Science Behind Positive Affirmations

The other morning, while sipping an iced coffee, I relaxed by watching a YouTube video.

Apparently, the young woman on the channel had a goal of losing 100 pounds. Over the last year, she’d already lost 50 pounds, with obviously another 50 pounds to lose to reach her goal. To jump-start her second 50-pound loss, she’d decided to host a 30-day challenge and invited her followers to join her.

During the explanation of the challenge, she mentioned affirmations and how they support her by “speaking life into her life.” The affirmations also helped to keep her motivated as she worked toward reaching her personal goals.

She had some great affirmations, I thought:

“I will not negotiate my dreams. I will not put my life on hold for another day.”

And another one:

“I am disciplined. I am strong-willed. I can do and become anything I want.”

Many years ago, after my divorce I made a strong shift, toward “transformational work” During that time I was introduced to the power of affirmations and added them to my daily routine.

I can also remember during this same period, my therapist at the time - yes, a therapist AND transformational workshops. It was a divorce. I had fallen off my "confidence mountain" and needed all the help I could get!

Anyway, my therapist was a fan of affirmations and encouraged me to use them to get through that very rough period.

For certain, Beth uses them too.

When I was at her apartment last Spring, I noticed in her bathroom, colorful sticky notes surrounding her mirror with single positive thoughts on each slip of paper. She told me she believes if repeated on a regular basis they are truly valuable in helping her change her attitude toward personal problems.

She also mentioned many of her favorite affirmations are bible verses. One personal favorite that can immediately take a bad feeling and transform it is, “I can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens me -” Philippians 4:13

I’m sure most of you out there are familiar with personal affirmations.

If you’re a baby boomer, (which I think we all belong to that club,) then you danced your way through the 1960/70s, the era marked by the civil rights movement, the Vietnam War, the devastating assassinations and the “generation gap.” It was also marked by increased attention to transformational concepts.

According to The History of Affirmations, it was Louise Hay, an author and motivational speaker popular in the 70s/1980s and beyond who popularized the concept of affirmations.

Hay, who went on to create Hay House a media company, apparently had a life of struggles with abuse and illness. She attributed much of her healing to the power of thought and more specifically, affirmations.

It was through her seminal book, “You Can Heal Your Life,” published in 1984, that brought the practice of affirmations to a broader audience. Hay proposed that our thoughts and words have the power to shape our reality. Further, she advanced the notion that negative beliefs in our subconscious mind can manifest as emotional or physical diseases.

As I mentioned before, Beth and I believe in the power of positive affirmations.

But being a curious woman, I wondered if the power of affirmations was evidence-based. I wondered what the scientific community thought about practicing this simple technique.

From the article, The History of Affirmations, I’ll summarize the high points:

Scientific research has increasingly started to validate what many have experienced anecdotally – that affirmations can indeed lead to real change.

According to a study published in the journal “Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience,” self-affirmation influences brain activity. When we affirm positive beliefs about ourselves, our brain responds by activating its reward pathways which makes us more likely to adopt positive behaviors.

Another study from the University of Michigan about self-talk, which is closely associated with affirmations, suggests that positive internal dialog is a powerful tool for shaping our perceptions and behaviors.

Additionally, a study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology found that people who performed self-affirmations were more open to acknowledging mistakes and processing threats, leading to positive changes in behavior.

The article ends with this thought – As we continue to deepen our understanding of the human mind, it’s likely that the role of affirmations in helping us achieve our fullest potential will become even more significant.

So yes, my Baby Boomer Sisters, affirmations have been given the stamp of approval from the scientific community. Confirming what we knew all along – there is power in positive self-talk and affirmations.

All I can say is “copacetic.”

If you’d like a bit more reading on the topic, you may enjoy this article.