Self-Worth Boosts Ability to Overcome Poverty

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131217085056.htm

Dec. 17, 2013 — For people in poverty, remembering better times -- such as past success -- improves brain functioning by several IQ points and increases their willingness to seek help from crucial aid services, a new study finds.

The findings suggest that reconnecting the poor with feelings of self-worth reduces the powerful stigma and psychological barriers that make it harder for low-income individuals to make good decisions or access the very assistance services that can help them get back on their feet.

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Compared to a control group, participants randomly assigned to "self-affirm" -- to recount a proud moment or past achievement -- performed dramatically better on the tests, equivalent to a ten-point increase in IQ. They were also more likely to seek out information on aid services from the local government.

While previous studies have successfully seen self-affirmation improve test scores in two other marginalized groups -- African-American students and female math students -- this is the first study to show it in the poor, and the first to use oral self-affirmation techniques tailored to participants' low literacy levels.

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