Manipulating self‐esteem with subliminally presented words

A method for the unobtrusive manipulation of self‐esteem is presented. In four experiments, participants were subliminally exposed to either negative or positive adjectives paired with a self‐referring word (‘I’). The manipulation affected both self‐esteem and a probable consequence of self‐esteem (self‐serving bias) but did not affect mood or evaluation of a non‐self‐related object. When the adjectives were paired with a non‐self‐referring word, the manipulation had no effects. Together, the findings suggest that a) the method is an effective means of manipulating self‐esteem without side‐effects on mood and b) selective activation of evaluative self‐knowledge is the mediating process. Thus, the method promises to be a useful tool for the experimental investigation of the consequences of self‐esteem.