Established science

Why affirmations use feeling: amygdala, hippocampus, ventral striatum

Feeling tags what matters; memory and reward keep it coming back.

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The amygdala: what matters

The amygdala, a pair of almond-shaped structures deep in the temporal lobes, rapidly tags events as emotionally important, good or bad. Tagged events get more attention and are remembered better. Established

Putting a feeling into words calms this response. In brain imaging, naming an emotion ("this is worry") reduces amygdala activity compared with just looking at the trigger. Established

The hippocampus: memory and future

The hippocampus, curled next to the amygdala, forms new memories, and it helps build imagined future scenes out of pieces of past ones. Emotionally tagged experiences are consolidated more strongly. Established

The ventral striatum: wanting

The ventral striatum (including the nucleus accumbens) responds when you anticipate a reward, and helps drive motivation to act. It responds to the expectation, not just the reward itself. Established

Why affirmations use feeling, and processes

Your affirmations are written as processes ("I notice one opportunity and act on it today"), not outcomes ("I am rich"). Outcome statements that feel untrue can backfire, particularly for people who already feel low about the topic. Emerging A process statement is something you can actually do today.

Each session also has a moment of gratitude for something specific. Gratitude practices reliably produce small improvements in wellbeing. Emerging

Sources

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  2. Lieberman, M. D., et al. (2007). Putting feelings into words: affect labeling disrupts amygdala activity in response to affective stimuli. Psychological Science, 18(5), 421-428. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2007.01916.x
  3. Schacter, D. L., Addis, D. R., & Buckner, R. L. (2007). Remembering the past to imagine the future: the prospective brain. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 8(9), 657-661. doi:10.1038/nrn2213
  4. Knutson, B., Adams, C. M., Fong, G. W., & Hommer, D. (2001). Anticipation of increasing monetary reward selectively recruits nucleus accumbens. Journal of Neuroscience, 21(16), RC159. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.21-16-j0002.2001
  5. Wood, J. V., Perunovic, W. Q. E., & Lee, J. W. (2009). Positive self-statements: power for some, peril for others. Psychological Science, 20(7), 860-866. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2009.02370.x
  6. Emmons, R. A., & McCullough, M. E. (2003). Counting blessings versus burdens. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(2), 377-389. doi:10.1037/0022-3514.84.2.377

Sources