Global self-esteem and the processing of positive information about the self

•Cognitions about positive self-related information correlate with self-esteem.•Positive thoughts about own positive experiences may boost self-esteem.•Positive self-related information may create anxiety in people with low self-esteem.

We examined undergraduate participants' (N = 98) self-related cognitive response to positive information about the self and how this response is related to global self-esteem and trait anxiety. Positive information about the self was defined as information that attributes positive qualities to the self or positive experiences for the self. The responses were measured by an open-ended questionnaire containing 12 scenarios. Self-esteem correlated positively with positive self-verification and self-focused positive construal of the event, and negatively with negative self-verification and self-focused negative construal of the event. All the four forms of self-focused cognitive responses made unique contributions to the prediction of self-esteem.Mediational analysis suggested that self-focused negative construal of positive information about the self might partially account for the link between self-esteem and trait anxiety. The findings in this study underscore the importance of studying cognitive responses to positive events for understanding individual differences in self-esteem and trait anxiety.