Effects of self-transcendence on neural responses to persuasive messages and health behavior change
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America September 17, 2018 Yoona Kang, Nicole Cooper, Prateekshit Pandey et al.
Significance People often feel defensive when reminded of their unhealthy behavior. We propose that self-transcendence, encouraged by focusing on others’ well-being, can lessen subsequent focus on threatened aspects of the self and increase receptivity. We show that activating self-transcendent mindsets, either by reflecting on self-transcendent values or making positive wishes for others,...