Self-esteem | featured news

For decades, the prevailing wisdom in education was that high self-esteem would lead to high achievement. The theory led to an avalanche of daily affirmations, awards ceremonies and attendance certificates — but few, if any, academic gains.

The tabloids are abuzz about a new study suggesting that Facebook can exacerbate the negative self-conceptions of kids troubled by low self-esteem. If you have 18 friends and see your neighbor has 1,118, the study says your sense of not measuring-up will get worse.

Studies show that individuals with low self-esteem are more likely to cheat on their partners, but they probably aren't picking someone up in a bar right now. They're too broke for that.