Tired of self-destructive behaviour? Learn to admit faults

What do you do when you feel that you have just too little money to support your family when all others around you seem to have a plenty?

While some hit the bar every time such feelings crawl inside their skin, others quietly accept the reality and make a work plan to improve their conditions.

Practicing self-acceptance may be the best way to boost our self-worth and avoid self-deprecating behaviours and consequences, a study noted.

"We introduce the idea that practicing self-acceptance is a more effective alternative to self-destructive behaviour," said Soo Kim and David Gal of Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Across five experiments, the authors confirmed that practicing self-acceptance helps to reduce a person's likelihood of engaging in damaging behaviour and increases the likelihood that they would work towards improving the areas where they fall short.

The study appeared in the Journal of Consumer Research.