Study Finds a Simple Values Exercise Eased Anxiety During COVID

When the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the world, it did not just threaten physical health, it flooded daily life with worry. For many people, the anxiety was relentless, a low hum of dread that never quite switched off. Could something as simple as reflecting on your own values help hold that stress at bay?

A study conducted in China during the outbreak put that question to the test, and the answer offers a hopeful, low-cost tool for hard times.

What the researchers wanted to know

The researchers wanted to know whether self-affirmation, deliberately reflecting on the personal values that make you feel like you matter, could buffer people against the psychological stress of living through an epidemic. Self-affirmation has long been studied as a way to shore people up when they feel threatened, but this was the first time it was tested as a coping tool during a real, ongoing public health crisis.

That distinction is important. Plenty of psychology research happens in calm lab conditions with invented stressors. This study asked whether a values exercise could hold up in the middle of genuine, widespread fear, when the threat was not hypothetical but all around people.

How they studied it

The study recruited 220 participants and split them into two groups. One group reflected on personal values that made them feel important to themselves, the heart of a self-affirmation exercise. The other group, serving as the comparison, reflected on values that were important to other people rather than to themselves. Both groups then completed measures of their anxiety.

By comparing the two, the researchers could isolate what the self-focused reflection specifically did. Both groups thought about values, but only one turned that reflection inward, which let the study zero in on the active ingredient rather than just the act of thinking about values in general.

What they found

The results were clear and reassuring. Participants who affirmed their own values did not show the increased anxiety seen in the control group. In other words, the simple act of reflecting on what personally mattered to them appeared to buffer their stress response during a genuinely frightening time.

The researchers concluded that self-affirmation could be a convenient strategy for the general public to cope with psychological stress during an outbreak, something people can do on their own, without special equipment, cost, or training. That is a striking finding, because it suggests a bit of inner reflection can act like a psychological shock absorber when the world outside feels out of control.

What this means for you

Pandemics are not the only times life feels overwhelming. Job uncertainty, health scares, family stress, and the daily drumbeat of bad news can all crank up anxiety. This research suggests a tool worth keeping in your back pocket: take a few minutes to reflect on a value that makes you feel like you, whether that is being a loving parent, a loyal friend, a curious learner, or a person of faith. Write about why it matters to you and a time you lived it out.

The point is not to deny that things are hard. It is to reconnect with a stable sense of who you are, which can make threats feel less all-consuming. When your identity feels anchored, a scary situation becomes one difficult thing you are facing rather than a wave that sweeps everything away. It is free, private, and something you can return to whenever the pressure rises.

The honest caveats

A few things are worth keeping in mind. This study involved 220 participants during a specific moment, the COVID-19 outbreak in China, so results may look different in other cultures, situations, or kinds of stress. The comparison showed that affirmed participants did not experience rising anxiety, which is meaningful, but a single intervention is not a treatment for an anxiety disorder.

Self-affirmation appears to be a helpful buffer, not a substitute for professional care when anxiety becomes severe or persistent. If worry is interfering with your sleep, work, or relationships, reaching out to a qualified mental health professional is a wise and healthy step, and one this kind of simple exercise is meant to complement, not replace.