Let’s Talk About the Harmful Effects of Microaggressions 

What Are Microaggressions? 

Microaggressions are everyday, intentional or unintentional verbal and nonverbal acts that communicate hostile, negative, or derogatory messages to individuals who belong to a minority group. These messages differ from overt racism or homophobia as they can be vague and subtle, and come from well-intentioned individuals. The systemic, educational, cultural, and media’s discriminatory treatment of minorities is internalized and unconsciously repeated in interpersonal relationships. Other marginalized groups in society, such as people with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people, women, etc. are subjected to microaggressions frequently, but in this article, it will be discussed from the perspective of racism. 

There are three types of microaggressions: microassault, microinsult, and microinvalidation. Microassaults are intentional, racially discriminatory insults that are used to hurt the victim. This can vary from racial profiling by the police to an employee following around a person of color in a store. Microinsults are insensitive remarks that are disrespectful towards a person’s identity. An example of this is telling someone, “You’re different, not like most South Asian people.” or assuming that individuals belonging to certain ethnicities are not as well educated as the majority group. Micro-invalidations occur when a person from a marginalized group’s experience is discredited or minimized. This is often done when individuals bring up their own experience as an example to dismiss the marginalized person’s experience. For example, imagine your friend tells you that their South Asian father was racially profiled by the police. Instead of being supportive about the situation, you respond with “Well, I’ve been stopped by the police and asked questions about my bicycle, and I look Japanese, so I don’t think that the police were trying to racially profile your father either when they stopped him and asked for his ID.”  This completely disregards their experience and undermines the effects of racial profiling. Another common form of microinvalidation is making someone feel like an outsider in their own country, by asking questions such as “Where are you from?” “How do you speak Japanese so well?” 

Although this is a new concept in Japan, it is becoming more widely known and recognized. It labels the feeling of unease and discomfort that racially marginalized people often feel after hearing comments that are often even disguised as compliments. Learning about microaggressions is a crucial part of anti-racist education, and it focuses on the reality of the recipient, regardless of intent. 

Psychological Damage Caused by Microaggressions

Microaggressions are not isolated incidents, but the effect of a deeper-rooted issue of systemic issues that significantly impact marginalized individuals. Repeated experiences with microaggressions can cause loss of self-esteem, feelings of exhaustion, mistrust of others, a low sense of belonging, traumatic reminders of past historic injustices, depression, stress, and anxiety. 

A new study led by Dr. Monnica Williams, a professor at the University of Ottawa, was published in 2025, highlighting the negative psychological impact of microaggressions on 400 BIPOC (black, indigenous, and other people of color) students. 77% of black students and 65% of Asian students who answered the study scored above the clinical threshold of racial trauma. One student stated, “Sometimes I feel as if people look past me or don’t even see me as a real person because of my race.” Dr. Williams emphasizes, “The voices of students are clear. They are asking not only to be included but to thrive. This research is their blueprint for a better future.”

In 2024, Lawrence Yoshitaka Shimoji, a project researcher at Ritsumeikan University, conducted the first nationwide study in Japan that explained the correlation between racial discrimination and mental health among people of multiple origins. 448 people, mainly in their 20s and 30s, who identify as “half” or “mixed” filled out the survey. 98% of the respondents experienced microaggressions in their daily lives.  61% of those respondents felt they were not being treated as other Japanese people, and 47.2% of the respondents passed the threshold for needing clinical consultation, which is 5.1 times higher than the national average of 9.2%. Moreover, individuals who had experienced self-harm and suicide attempts were 1.5 to 2 times higher than the national average. 

How Can We Prevent This From Continuing to Happen? 

Although there are far fewer people with mixed roots in Japan compared to other Western and some Asian countries, the study conducted in Japan makes evident the racial trauma that “half” or “mixed” individuals are experiencing in the country they call home. To prevent this from continuing to happen and cause harm to countless people, institutions must listen to the voices that call for change. Dr. Williams and her team suggest that there be more regular training regarding anti-racism and unconscious bias training, accessible culturally competent mental health care, community spaces dedicated to foster belonging, recruitment of BIPOC staff to represent students, and accessible channels to report harassment or discrimination on campuses. 

Say No to Racism 

Lastly, this was a message left in the comments section of the survey by Shimoji. “My grandfather is from Taiwan, and my grandmother is Taiwanese, but she was born in Japan. My mother tongue is Japanese, and because of my appearance, people never assumed that I am mixed, so I never faced overt discrimination, and I didn’t pay much attention to my roots. However, because of that, people who are not aware of my Taiwanese background, talk negatively about people of Chinese descent or say things like “foreigners are XX” and it makes me feel uneasy and conflicted.” 

Discrimination of any kind should never be tolerated. However, it appears that in Japan, hostility towards marginalized people has grown over the years, as shown in this person’s testimonial. Educating people on the harm that microaggressions and discrimination cause and how they lead to a systemic form of racism is vital to the well-being of not just racialized people, but minorities everywhere. If you see someone saying something racist or microaggressive, point it out, so that they know that kind of behavior is not tolerated. 

Written by まりか