Contingencies of Self-Worth and Positive Emotions in College Students (2014)

Undergraduate: Carolina Caldera

Faculty Advisor: Barbara Fredrickson
Department: Psychology & Neuroscience

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Unhealthy contingencies of self-worth, or areas in an individual's life which predicts rises and falls in self-esteem, such as appearance or academic competence, can lead to unfavorable outcomes, such as body image issues, financial problems, and low self-esteem and well-being. This study demonstrates how a simple writing task focused on a healthier contingency of self-worth such as family support can increase momentary positive emotions. Positive emotions can combat the negative consequences of an unhealthy contingency of self-worth by broadening and building an individual's momentary and personal resources, leading them on an upward spiral of well-being. Our results show that the experimental writing task significantly increased positive emotions in both individuals with healthy and unhealthy contingencies of self-worth, as opposed to individuals who wrote a control essay.