Study Sheds Light on Link Between Self-Esteem and Interpersonal Relationships

The advice that other people will like you more if you like yourself sounds reasonable enough, and there’s some scientific basis for saying that it’s true. Psychology studies have tended to show that people with higher self-esteem have stronger interpersonal relationships. Still, it’s been unclear why that’s the case. Do people with higher self-esteem subsequently…

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Distinguishing Narcissism and Self-Esteem

Everyone wants to feel good about themselves. But when does feeling good about yourself cross the line into feeling better than other people? There are different ways of thinking about the difference between narcissism and high-self esteem. We can say that self-esteem is about valuing yourself while narcissism is about feeling superior. Or that self-esteem…

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Writing Part of Your Life Story Can Boost Self-Esteem

How we make sense of events that have happened to us affects how we see our place in the world around us. As I wrote about last year, for example, studies suggest that how people frame their life stories seems to be a key component of identity. Our life stories aren’t static, though. We’re constantly…

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The Dangers of Comparing Yourself to Others on Social Media

Social media makes a lot of things easier. Keeping up with old friends. Sharing your vacation pictures. Comparing yourself to other people. It’s that last one that could be causing problems, according to two new studies published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. Social networking isn’t inherently bad for people’s mental health, the…

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