Self-esteem refers to how you feel about yourself, including your worth—your value as a person. Self-esteem consists of attitudes, the positive and negative feelings we have in a given situation about our abilities, traits, thoughts, emotions, behavior, and appearance. Self-concept and self-esteem are closely related: people need to know themselves before they can have attitudes about themselves. Consequently, many researchers believe that the self-concept forms first, and self-esteem emerges later (Greenwalk, Bellezza, & Banaji, 1988).

You have probably noticed that people with high self-esteem have confidence in what they do, how they think, and how they perform. That’s partly because these individuals are better able to incorporate their successes into their self-concept. This projection of confidence led the high-end Italian clothing company Canali to make former Yankee baseball pitcher Mariano Rivera the first sports-figure star in its advertising campaign history (Araton, 2010). Rivera’s self-assurance and self-control add to the perception of Canali’s elegant clothing.

Research shows that people with high self-esteem are more confident in their interpersonal relationships, too—perhaps because they tend to believe that being friendly is a positive trait that will cause others to be friendly in return (Baldwin & Keelan, 1999). For example, Facebook posts and pictures of your family and friends not only communicate your self-worth to others but also encourage “likes” and “comments” back from them (Jacobs, 2013). Research also shows that perceived commitment from a romantic partner enhances self-esteem (Rill, Balocchi, Hopper, Denker, & Olson, 2009). Thus, individuals with high self-esteem may not feel a strong need for public displays of affection. By contrast, someone with low self-esteem might press their romantic partner to show affection in public, so others can see that “someone loves me!”

Research suggests that some people have low self-esteem, or a poor view of themselves, because they lack accurate information about themselves or they mistrust the knowledge they do possess. For example, you may feel that you are a poor student because you have to study constantly to keep up your grades in German class. Your German professor, however, might find that your efforts and the improvement you’ve made over the semester reveal that you are a good, hardworking student. Low self-esteem may also result from unreasonable comparisons to other people or to cultural stereotypes. If your self-concept about your body shape is based on comparisons with media personalities, that perception can affect your self-esteem. Indeed, exposure to images of body “perfection” in the media has been linked to negative body image and even eating disorders (Bishop, 2000; Hendriks, 2002; Jacobs, 2013). In fact, a recent study shows that men exposed to idealized male bodies in even brief music video clips reported decreased body and muscle tone satisfaction (Mulgrew & Volcevski-Kostas, 2012). Similarly, comparing your life to the (supposedly) exciting lives presented by others on Facebook can have negative effects on your self-esteem (Chou & Edge, 2012). In contrast, becoming more “self-aware” by updating and giving thought to a positive presentation of your own Facebook profile appears to enhance self-esteem rather than diminish it (Gonzalez & Hancock, 2011; Toma, 2013).