We kind of know that when we feel bad about ourselves, saying I'm great doesn't help because now we just feel like we're lying to ourselves.

我們都知道，當我們對自己感覺不好時，說我很棒也無濟於事，因為現在我們只覺得自己在自欺欺人。

Self-affirmation is not that.

自我肯定並非如此。

Self-affirmation is this.

自我肯定就是這樣。

If I am the type of person that feels powerless inside of myself, I know that as you've described, there's things that I can do to tell a different story to myself publicly and privately.

如果我是那種內心感到無能為力的人，我知道正如你所描述的，我可以做一些事情，公開或私下向自己講述一個不同的故事。

Is this a form of practice that one has to do?

這是一種必須進行的練習嗎？

Yes.

是的。

Is there like I go to the gym and I...

是否有像我去健身房，我...

Some of my favorite work in social psychology is on what's called self-affirmation theory.

我最喜歡的一些社會心理學研究是所謂的自我肯定理論。

When people think of self-affirmation, they think of someone looking in a mirror saying, I'm awesome.

一提到自我肯定，人們就會想到有人對著鏡子說：我真棒。

I'm the best.

我是最棒的

I'm going to win.

我會贏的

I'm a winner.

我是贏家

We kind of know that when we feel bad about ourselves, saying I'm great doesn't help because now we just feel like we're lying to ourselves.

我們都知道，當我們對自己感覺不好時，說我很棒也無濟於事，因為現在我們只覺得自己在自欺欺人。

So we feel bad already and now we're like, well I feel bad and I'm a So self-affirmation is not that.

所以，我們已經感覺很糟糕了，現在我們會說，我感覺很糟糕，我是一個自我肯定的人。

Self-affirmation is this.

自我肯定就是這樣。

There are hundreds of experiments now on self-affirmation.

現在有數百個關於自我肯定的實驗。

They have people list the top two or three values or qualities that make them who they are.

他們讓人們列出使他們成為現在這樣的人的最重要的兩三個價值觀或品質。

Like if I took that value or quality away from you, you would say I'm just no longer myself.

比如，如果我從你身上奪走了這種價值或品質，你就會說我不再是我自己了。

Like you are just taking a piece of me away.

就好像你只是帶走了我的一部分。

They then have them kind of one paragraph about a time when they expressed it and another maybe about how it felt to express it.

然後，讓他們用一段話講述他們表達的時間，再用另一段話講述表達時的感受。

That is it.

就是這樣。

That's the exercise.

這就是練習。

They then have them do difficult things like take a difficult math test, for example, or do a debate, you know, be in a debate competition or something challenging that's unrelated, right?

然後讓他們做一些困難的事情，比如參加難度很大的數學考試，或者進行辯論，你知道的，參加辯論比賽，或者一些與此無關的挑戰性活動，對嗎？

So if say I said I value music, if you took the experience of myself and then I did a math test, I would do better on the math test.

所以，如果我說我重視音樂，如果你把我自己的經歷拿去做數學測試，我會在數學測試中考得更好。

After doing that self-affirmation exercise, I would be likely to, on average, people perform better.

做完自我肯定練習後，我就有可能，平均而言，人們的表現會更好。

They also even show decreases in levels of stress hormones like epinephrine.

它們甚至還顯示出腎上腺素等壓力荷爾蒙水準的下降。

So the idea is that you're anchoring yourself in who you are and what you're doing is reminding yourself that no matter what happens on that math test, you're still going to be that person when you walk out.

是以，我們的想法是，你要把自己固定在自己是誰的位置上，你要做的就是提醒自己，無論數學考試發生了什麼，當你走出考場時，你仍然會是那個人。

And so that math test becomes less important, which ironically or paradoxically makes you do better on it.

是以，數學考試就變得不那麼重要了，具有諷刺意味或自相矛盾的是，這讓你考得更好。

And so I think that's a really good start is to just spend time kind of journaling about who are you, what do you value, but really what are those qualities that make you who you are to you, not to others, not how would others describe you.

是以，我認為這是一個很好的開始，你可以花時間寫日記，談談你是誰，你看重什麼，但真正讓你成為你自己的品質是什麼，而不是別人，也不是別人如何描述你。