Self-affirmation and productivity: Backfiring among those who could benefit the most
2026-04-07
In a field experiment among an extremely poor and stigmatised group in Namibia, we study the effect of a standard self-affirmation intervention – i.e., asking participants to recall experiences that made them feel successful and proud – on labour productivity. In a control condition, we simply ask participants to recall their daily routines. In both experimental conditions, participants then work on a real job with piece-rate incentives. Surprisingly, the self-affirmation intervention backfires: participants are substantially less productive than those in the control condition. An analysis of participants’ answers to the self-affirmation intervention suggests that the backfiring can be explained by difficulties in recalling positive experiences. To provide causal evidence for this conjecture, we conduct a well-powered online follow-up experiment with U.S. participants, which replicates the backfiring in a completely different context. Thus, our study provides evidence that standard self-affirmation interventions should be treated with some caution, as they may be ineffective and even counterproductive for those who would most need a boost in self-image and productivity. The unintended result notwithstanding, we provide clear evidence that productivity is malleable through psychological interventions.