In this paper, we sought to understand what factors influence our self-perception, so that we could learn to better understand our own thinking, and how to better support others. Previous research has predicted self-perception by variables such as masculinity, quiescent silence, and time spent on social media. In our first (correlational) study, we tested the strength of these relationships by examining naturalistic daily changes in their variables longitudinally over a one-week period. We measured masculinity by rating on a 5-point scale, quiescent silence by recording number of individual instances, time spent on social media by recording number of minutes per day, perceived self-efficacy by rating on a 7-point scale, positive self-perception of creativity by rating on a 5-point scale and negative self-perception on a 5-point scale. Based on the strength of correlation found between quiescent silence and perceived self-efficacy in our correlational study, we then conducted a second (experimental) study to test for a causal relationship between these two variables. Over a one-week period, we assigned participants on alternating days to either a quiescent silence condition or a natural voice condition and measured the effect this manipulation had upon perceived self-efficacy using both self-rated and other-rated methods. While data pooled across participants in our correlational study showed no correlation of any statistical significance between the variables, data pooled across participants in our experimental study showed a significant effect of quiescent silence upon perceived self-efficacy. Our data suggests an ongoing relationship between quiescent silence and self-perception, one practical application of which may be methods of raising perceived self-efficacy through speech and personal engagement.
