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WASHINGTON, D.C.--Self-esteem is something we all want, and, experts say, need for our mental health. But the more we chase this notion, trying to build ourselves up in our own eyes, the more it eludes our grasp: a body of research shows that doggedly pursuing self-worth backfires, because that pursuit implies a level of ego-involvement that is unhealthy. And now, a new study reported here May 27 at the 2011 convention of the Association for Psychological Science shows that the best way to boost self-esteem is to forget about yourself altogether--and think about others.Because relationships play a big role in how we feel about ourselves, psychologist Jennifer Crocker, who headed up the study while at the University of Michigan, and her colleague Amy Canevello wanted to test how people's goals affect their self-worth in the context of human bonds. Crocker's team picked a population whose relationships started at exactly the same time--when they started college. [More] Read More ...
