Self-affirmation counteracts the effects of burdens on judgments of distance

When a personʹs capacity for physical movement is diminished, judgments of the environment change—unless, perhaps, the person is able to self-affirm. We observed as in previous work that physical burdens altered judgments of distance. When participants wore a heavy backpack rather than a light one, they estimated a landmark to be significantly farther away. Crucially, self-affirmation eliminated this effect. When participants self-affirmed prior to making judgments, the weight of the backpack had no effect on distance estimates. The influence of self-affirmation was not accounted for by effects of self-affirmation on mood or by increased thoughts of supportive friends and family among the self-affirmed. These data reveal a simple strategy for counteracting the effects that bodily constraints can have on visual judgments. They also expose the far reaching effects of self-affirmation, which can counteract reactions not only to psychological challenges but to physical ones as well.