PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Self-worth boosts ability to overcome poverty

2013-12-17
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Basil Waugh
basil.waugh@ubc.ca
604-822-2048
University of British Columbia
Self-worth boosts ability to overcome poverty 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.

"This study shows that surprisingly simple acts of self-affirmation can improve the cognitive function and behavioural outcomes of people in poverty," says University of British Columbia professor Jiaying Zhao and study co-author. The study will be published this month in Psychological Science.

The main experiments took place in a New Jersey soup kitchen over two years. Nearly 150 study participants were asked to privately record a personal story with a tape recorder before doing a variety of problem-solving tests.

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.

The study has important policy implications, including the potential to improve enrolment in government or charity assistance programs (health care, food stamps, tax rebates), which are used by only a fraction of eligible participants.

BACKGROUND

Zhao and co-authors Eldar Shafir of Princeton University and Crystal Hall of University of Washington theorize that self-affirmation alleviates the mentally overwhelming stigma and cognitive threats of poverty, which can impair reasoning, cause bad decisions and perpetuate financial woes.

This study builds on previous research by Zhao and colleagues from Princeton, Harvard and University of Warwick, which found that poverty consumes so much mental energy that those in poor circumstances have little remaining brainpower to concentrate on other areas of life.

As a result, less "mental bandwidth" remains for education, training, time-management, assistance programs and other steps that could help break out of the cycles of poverty.

INFORMATION:

Jiaying Zhao is an assistant professor in UBC's Dept. of Psychology and Institute of Resources, Environment and Sustainability.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

UT Arlington marketing study shows ethnically diverse workforce may improve customer experience

2013-12-16
UT Arlington marketing study shows ethnically diverse workforce may improve customer experience Future of business depends on diversity Service-oriented businesses that want to succeed with minority customers should consider hiring frontline employees who represent ...

Pollination, land degradation: Top priorities for assessment by new UN intergovernmental body

2013-12-16
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 14-Dec-2013 [ | E-mail ] var addthis_pub="eurekalert"; var addthis_options = "favorites, delicious, digg, facebook, twitter, google, newsvine, reddit, slashdot, stumbleupon, buzz, more" Share Contact: Terry Collins tc@tca.tc 416-878-8712 Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Pollination, land degradation: Top priorities for assessment by new UN intergovernmental body Nations approve first work plan, budget for Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services Antalya, Turkey, December ...

Climate change threatens genetic diversity, future of world's caribou

2013-12-16
Climate change threatens genetic diversity, future of world's caribou Caribou in southern and eastern Canada may disappear from most of their current range in 60 years if climate change takes the toll on their habitat that scientists predict in a paper appearing ...

Timing is everything in new nanotechnology for medicine, security and research

2013-12-16
Timing is everything in new nanotechnology for medicine, security and research WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Researchers working to advance imaging useful to medicine and security are capitalizing on the same phenomenon behind the lingering "ghost" image that appeared ...

Nuclei in wrong place may be cause, not result, of inherited muscle diseases

2013-12-16
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 16-Dec-2013 [ | E-mail ] var addthis_pub="eurekalert"; var addthis_options = "favorites, delicious, digg, facebook, twitter, google, newsvine, reddit, slashdot, stumbleupon, buzz, more" Share Contact: Cathy Yarbrough cyarbrough@ascb.org 858-243-1814 John Fleischman jfleischman@ascb.org American Society for Cell Biology Nuclei in wrong place may be cause, not result, of inherited muscle diseases Sunday Driver gene implicated as necessary regulator of nuclear positioning in muscle tissue cells Incorrectly positioned nuclei ...

Mothers see their youngest as shorter than they are

2013-12-16
Mothers see their youngest as shorter than they are Many parents say when their second child is born that their first child suddenly appears to have grown overnight. Now, researchers reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on December 16 have an explanation: until ...

JCI early table of contents for Dec. 16, 2013

2013-12-16
JCI early table of contents for Dec. 16, 2013 A mouse model to evaluate potential age-promoting compounds While there are well-established mouse models to identify cancer-causing agents, similar models are not available to readily test and identify age-promoting ...

A mouse model to evaluate potential age-promoting compounds

2013-12-16
A mouse model to evaluate potential age-promoting compounds While there are well-established mouse models to identify cancer-causing agents, similar models are not available to readily test and identify age-promoting agents. Recently, a mouse strain ...

Hybrid protein deregulates complement in dense deposit disease

2013-12-16
Hybrid protein deregulates complement in dense deposit disease Dense deposit disease is a rare congenital disorder that is associated with complement dysfunction and often results in end stage renal disease within 10 years of the initial diagnosis. A ...

Fruit fly studies help scientists swat aggressive relapsing leukemia

2013-12-16
Fruit fly studies help scientists swat aggressive relapsing leukemia CINCINNATI – Using genetic information initially uncovered in fruit fly studies, scientists have developed a unique therapeutic strategy that stops an aggressive and ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Food preferences, stigma among reasons students don’t eat free school meals

Depression often associated with early menopause: Why some women are at greater risk

Universal method unlocks entropy calculation for liquids

Induction effect of fluorine-grafted polymer-based electrolytes for high-performance lithium metal batteries

Intensity of opioid use appears to be higher in fentanyl era

'Adventurous’ vs ‘homebody’ anemonefish – research reveals key influences in diversification and evolution

Only Amazon MTurk’s ‘master’ workers provide reliable research data quality

Scientists find the first ice core from the European Alps that dates back to the last Ice Age

Yoga, Tai Chi, walking and jogging may be best forms of exercise for insomnia

Medical tourism for bariatric/weight reduction surgery needs urgent regulation

Funding for lifesaving global health programs forecasted to reach 15-year low, threatening to reverse decades of progress

Exercise could ease symptoms for people with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia, but support and adequate guidance is lacking

Lost English legend decoded, solving Chaucerian mystery and revealing a medieval preacher’s meme

Stigma driving depression in alopecia patients, rather than illness severity

Eyes on the prize: Decoding eye contact

Technician-led eye clinics could lead to more timely NHS care

University of Birmingham and CBMM partner to drive disruptive innovation in carbon recycling

New study reveals gendered language patterns in children’s television across 60 years

Ancient fault line poses future earthquake hazard in Canada’s North

Scientists uncover DNA secrets to bolster corn crop traits

Hidden bacterial redundancy could be antibiotic game-changer

New study reveals how corals teach their offspring to beat the heat

Understanding relationship development: Towards a more rigorous approach

Surgical stroke initiative targets deadliest brain bleeds

Understanding how the superfungus Candida auris withstands antifungal treatment

Call for papers: CPA special issue on polypharmacology in cancer therapy—overcoming resistance and enhancing efficacy

An alternative adhesive for wearable medical devices

Pavlov’s dogs were conditioned to go to their treat. Why do some animals learn to interact with the bell instead?

Call for Young Editorial Board members at Current Molecular Pharmacology

MSU team develops scalable climate solutions for agricultural carbon markets

[Press-News.org] Self-worth boosts ability to overcome poverty