Bibliography- Ugandanknuckles

(In order of how I found them, not alphabetical)

1. Bard, E. (2015, August 04). Why Affirmations Don’t Work (& What You Can Do Instead). Retrieved January, 2018, from

Background: This article talks about how Self-help mantras aren’t as helpful as people once thought they were, and how they can actually be detrimental. It cites a study done by The University of Waterloo and The University of New Brunswick.

How I Used It: This is how I found my initial topic. I had always found psychology to be interesting, and I thought, “Hey, it’d be interesting to further investigate those.” Although my current and final topic is the inverse of what the article is trying to argue, it was still important to starting my research as a whole.

2. Wiseman, R. (2012, June 30). Self help: Try positive action, not positive thinking. Retrieved January, 2018, from

Background: This article talks about how actions have a more profound effect on us than words or thoughts do. “Actions speak louder than words” is the overall message.

How I Used It: Mantras are commonly coupled with yoga, so I used it in my reflective essay as an idea of how yoga can help make mantras more effective for someone who isn’t really feeling the effects.

3. Majewski, L. (2018, March 05). 9 Empowering Mantras to Shift Your Mindset. Retrieved February, from

Background: Lori Majewski talks about her experiences with mantras, and includes stories from other people of how they use mantras.

How I Used It: I used this article at the end of my Research Essay to reference real-world examples of how people discover and utilize mantras.

4. Breeze, S. (2016). The Meaning of World’s Most Popular Mantras. Retrieved April, 2018, from

Background: The mantra community member, “Sunny Breeze,” explains the menaing behind some of the more commonly used mantras, and a few mantras that are a little far out in their spelling.

How I used It: This article was very important because I needed it to explain what mantras mean. If the words have no meaning behind them, they are useless, and this article helped me define the more well known ones most people use.

5. Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. (n.d.). Retrieved February, 2018, from

(2007 is the most recent date on the document, there’s no publication date)

Background: This article contains and talks about the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale.

How I Used It: I used it to help me talk about self-esteem. It’s the most commonly used scale, so I needed to talk about it.

6. Heatherton, T. F., & Wyland, C. L. (n.d.). Assessing Self-Esteem. Retrieved February, 2018, from

(2001 is the most recent date on the document, there’s no publication date)

Background: Heatherton and Wyland talk about the operative part of self-esteem, self-concept, and some of the misconceptions surrounding self-esteem and self-concept. Misconceptions like how the different genders (pardon my lack of PC) build self-esteem, and the differences between them.

How I Used It: I used it to explain the idea of self-concept, and how self-esteem has many factors contributing to it. Mantras can help boost self-esteem, but it can’t help a person’s self-concept, or what they perceive to be true about themselves.

7. How to increase your self-esteem. (2016, June). Retrieved February, 2018, from

Background: This page goes over the traditional ways to diagnose your self-esteem, and ways to combat low self-esteem. It includes help lines and ways to remove yourself from emotionally toxic situations.

How I Used It: Background info/research.

8. Horton, A. P. (2018, February 15). Positive Self-Esteem Is Overrated, Here’s What You Need Instead. Retrieved March, 2018, from

Background: Melissa Dahl explains why self-esteem is overrated, and why the other concept, self-clarity, is more important. Self-clarity being how well someone knows themselves (similar to self-concept).

How I Used It: This was an important piece of my work before I changed my topic, but I used it in my rebuttal essay to help me find what some of the main arguments against my research were.

9. Petherik, S. (2014, August 21). The stuck record: Why mantras feel like bullshit. Retrieved March, 2018, from

Background: Sas Petherick (possibly her first name?) talks about why mantras feel like they’re ineffective, and possible ways to help them seem effective.

How I Used It: For my old topic, this article had been what I thought to be a breakthrough. It was not, and it actually ended up making me rethink my topic.

10. Axel, G. (2013, October 02). Your Brain on Om: The Science of Mantra. Retrieved March, 2018, from

Background: Gariel Axel explains the science of sound on the body, and why mantras are effective because of that.

How I Used It: I used the article to help explain why mantras are effective through the science of sound. It was especially important in the writing of my rebuttal essay to combat the idea that only people who devote a large portion of their lives to mantras can benefit from them.

11. The Science of Mantras: Mantras Work With or Without Faith; Research Supports the Effectiveness of Sanskrit Mantra for Healing – and Even Environmental Transformation. (2017, March 05). Retrieved April, 2018, from

Background: This article by Buddha Weekly explains how sound effects the environment, but more specifically water. Water is in most living things, including humans, and the article goes from that perspective to explain how different types of sounds can effect you based on how they are conveyed.

How I Used It: I didn’t feel like my argument about sound science was effective enough in my rebuttal essay, so I used this article as a last minute boost to my credibility. It as well helped me find out more information on what I was talking about, thus giving me a more robust statement to provide on the topic of sound and the body.

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