Science Behind Affirmations

Affirmations are designed to transform your inner world and create an aligned external world from that place of worthiness. They have the power to change and heal your life.
Following are the rationales behind how affirmations work:

1. The power of thought
   From a neuroscientific standpoint, imagining an action and doing it require the same motor and sensory programs in the brain. Imagination and action are integrated and engage the same neural pathways. In effect, practicing one actually influences the other. A fascinating research group conducted an experiment wherein two groups were given piano lessons. One group was allowed to practice the piano. In contrast, the other group was merely asked to listen and imagine practicing in their head without touching a piano. After 3 days of piano lessons, their accuracy in playing the piano was precisely the same. After 5 days, obviously, the first group played the piano better since they employed action. But this demonstrates the power of thought. Beyond just thought, we need to take appropriate action, of course, to create a lasting impact. Alas, we cannot think that we are Shakespeare and magically become the king of literature. But our thoughts do have some power over our behaviour and capabilities.

2. Reward Centres
   Some researchers used MRI to understand the effect of self-affirmations. They found that practicing self-affirmations activates the reward centers- Ventral Striatum (VS) and Ventromedial Prefrontal Cortex (VMPFC) in the brain. The reward centers are basically the same areas that respond to other pleasurable experiences, such as eating your favourite dish or winning a prize. So, practicing affirmations help activate those areas of the brain that make you happy and joyful, which in turn dampen pain and assist us in maintaining our inner balance.

3. Subconscious mind affects your behaviour
   Our minds often face some trouble to differentiate between what is reality and what is imagination. As a result, the thoughts we feed into our psyche affect our thinking pattern, behaviour, habits, and environment. Creating a mental image of yourself excelling at something activates many of the same brain areas triggered while
   experiencing a similar situation. On average, 45000-51000 thoughts cross our minds daily. That is 150 to 300 thoughts per minute. Unfortunately, for most of us, 80% of these thoughts are negative. These negative thoughts create a self-fulfilling prophecy that dominates our behaviour and habits. Practicing positive affirmations helps in sweeping this negative aura from our minds.