Ideas about the causes and effects of self-confidence have appeared in publications describing characteristics of a sacrilegious attitude toward God and the culture of colonial-era American society. In 1890, William James wrote, “Believe what is in the line of your needs, for only by such belief is the need fulfilled... Have faith that you can successfully make it, and your feet are nerved to its accomplishment”. Following World War I, psychologists praised self-confidence as decreasing nervous tension and ridding the battlefield of terror. During the 1920s, psychologists associated self-confidence in men with remaining at home and taking care of the family when not working. During the Great Depression, Philip Eisenberg and Paul Lazarsfeld wrote that a sudden negative change in one's circumstances, especially job loss, could lead to decreased self-confidence, particularly if the jobless person believes the fault lies with them.
Various factors may affect an individual’s self-confidence, and it can vary in different environments and situations. One’s self-confidence often increases as one satisfactorily completes activities. Leon Festinger found that self-confidence in an individual’s ability may only rise or fall when that individual can compare themselves to others who are roughly similar, in a competitive environment. Social psychologists have found self-confidence to be correlated with saving money, influencing others, and being a responsible student.
Attributing success to factors under one’s control can lead to increased future confidence, while attributing failure to external factors can have the same effect. If a person believes they failed because of a factor beyond their control, they are more likely to be confident about succeeding in the future. Self-confidence is correlated with self-efficacy—belief in one’s ability to accomplish a specific task—though a person can possess one without the other. Albert Bandura argued that a person’s perceived confidence indicates capability, and a lack of belief in coping ability can lower confidence. Salespeople high in self-confidence tend to set higher goals, stay employed longer, yield higher revenues, and generate higher customer service satisfaction.
People with high self-confidence are more likely to impress others, as they are perceived as more knowledgeable and likely to make correct judgments. However, a negative correlation is sometimes found between self-confidence and the accuracy of claims. When people are uncertain, they are more likely to believe and follow the advice of those who seem self-confident.
Self-confidence emerges differently in children than in adults. Only children may be more self-confident than other children, and successful performance in music can increase feelings of self-confidence in children, enhancing their self-regulatory capability. In adolescents, low self-confidence may be a predictor of loneliness. Women who are either high or low in general self-confidence are more likely to be persuaded to change their opinion than women with medium self-confidence, though specific high confidence plays less of a role. Men who have low generalized self-confidence are more easily persuaded than men of high generalized self-confidence.
Self-confidence is one of the most influential factors in an athlete’s performance, with “robust self-confidence beliefs” correlating with mental toughness—the ability to cope better than opponents and remain focused under pressure. When athletes confront stress, their self-confidence decreases, but team support can reduce this effect. Gymnasts who talk to themselves in an instructional format tend to be more self-confident than those who do not.
The utility of self-confidence may vary by culture, with some finding Asians perform better when they lack confidence, especially when compared to North Americans.