Life Coaching | 8 min read | 2024-08-19 | 48 Views
The Science of Manifesting: Can Positive Thinking Improve Health and Well-Being?
Examines whether positive thinking can genuinely enhance health and well-being through scientific evidence and psychological insights.
The Science of Manifesting: Can Positive Thinking Improve Health and Well-Being?
In recent years, the concept of "manifesting"—the idea that one can bring positive outcomes into their life through focused thoughts and intentions—has gained significant popularity, driven by self-help books, social media influencers, and even some psychological studies. Supporters argue that by maintaining a positive outlook and visualizing success, individuals can improve their overall health, achieve personal goals, and enhance life satisfaction. But does this practice hold any real power? Can a positive outlook on life and the act of manifesting lead to better health outcomes, higher life satisfaction, or aid those struggling with mental health conditions? Let's dive into the evidence.
What is Manifestation?
Manifestation is the practice of focusing one's thoughts and intentions on specific goals or desires, believing that these can become a reality. For some people, this means their thoughts and emotions send powerful messages into the universe, which will be returned to them through material experiences that match their original message (Dixon et al., 2023). Manifestation often involves visualization, affirmations, goal setting, and other mental exercises to align one's thoughts, emotions, and behaviors with the desired outcome. The underlying idea is that by maintaining a positive mindset and consistently visualizing success, individuals can attract the circumstances and resources needed to achieve their goals. This concept is rooted in the law of attraction, which suggests that like attracts like, meaning positive thoughts attract positive outcomes.
The Science Behind Manifestation
A study on the psychology of individuals who believe in manifestation yielded many interesting findings (Dixon et al., 2023). Manifesters often exhibit a positive view of themselves and their prospects for success. They tend to believe strongly in their ability to achieve their life goals, maintaining confidence even when there's a significant gap between their current achievements and their desired outcomes. Individuals who practice manifestation naturally become more optimistic and hopeful. According to research, individuals with increased hope and optimism experience greater life satisfaction, are less likely to develop mental health conditions, adapt better to adversity, and engage in healthier behaviors (Laranjeira & Querido, 2022). A study on the cardiovascular health of young adults found that increased levels of optimism are linked to improved cardiovascular health (Boehm et al., 2020). However, while hope and optimism may be beneficial, evidence suggests that the belief in manifestation is closely tied to overconfidence or overoptimism regarding goal attainment. Interestingly, while manifesters report higher self-esteem and confidence, no data supports that these individuals attain higher income or education. Therefore, in terms of objective success, manifesters are not more successful than non-manifesters (Dixon et al., 2023).
Goal Setting and Visualization Techniques
Research indicates that belief in manifestation is particularly linked to an increased belief in achieving externally derived goals such as fame, wealth, and status (Dixon et al., 2023). Goal setting is an important part of manifestation. A study on happiness through goal setting found that individuals working towards a goal with a desired outcome, known as an approach goal, experienced greater levels of happiness compared to individuals with goals of avoiding an undesired outcome, known as avoidance goals. The data showed that individuals who improved their reasoning for setting goals to be more approach-driven had a positive impact on their life satisfaction (Ehrlich, 2022). This highlights the importance of the motivation behind one's goals—greater happiness is achieved when working towards something beneficial rather than avoiding a negative outcome.
Goal setting is particularly effective when coupled with visualization. A study on the constructive systems of the brain found that the ability to imagine hypothetical future scenarios can enhance the accuracy of predicting those scenarios actually occurring (Hassabis & Maguire, 2009). This ability to vividly envision one's goals and future success is a valuable tool in manifestation practices, especially when the individual has clear goals and plans on how to achieve their desires.
Underlying Dangers of Manifestation
While positive thinking is crucial in manifestation and can help maintain optimism during goal pursuit, it can also be detrimental if it involves setting unrealistic goals or ignoring contrary evidence. Manifesters are more inclined towards risk-taking behaviors, including making risky investments, which can lead to negative financial outcomes such as bankruptcy. These adverse effects are often subtle and may go unnoticed by individuals who practice manifestation. Additionally, the tendency to positively reframe failures can obscure accurate attributions of success and failure, potentially fostering denial or false hope (Dixon et al., 2023).
Manifesters often report a more positive self-concept and a higher likelihood of success. However, this level of positivity can backfire. Research shows that individuals with poor self-concepts may feel worse after focusing on finding truth solely on positive affirmation statements about themselves, such as “I am worthy of love.” Similarly, the benefits manifesters experience may vary depending on the gap between their ideal future self and their current reality. Overconfidence in achieving success can leave individuals vulnerable to unrealistic expectations and misleading promises or claims from the success industry, such as "get rich quick" schemes (Dixon et al., 2023). Despite the confidence and positive outlook associated with manifestation, little objective evidence suggests that it significantly aids in achieving success. The belief in manifestation is actually correlated with risky financial decisions and negative financial outcomes, as well as overestimations of the likelihood and timeframe for achieving one's goals (Dixon et al., 2023).
Conclusion
While manifesting should not be viewed as a cure-all, scientific evidence supports the idea that maintaining a positive outlook and engaging in positive visualization can lead to better health outcomes and improved life satisfaction. Positive thinking, optimism, and hope have been shown to promote cardiovascular health, lower the chances of developing mental health conditions, and increase adaptability to adversity. Additionally, manifesting techniques can boost motivation, help achieve personal goals, and serve as an effective adjunct in the treatment of mental health conditions.
While the practice can foster an optimistic mindset, it is important for individuals to balance positivity with realistic goal-setting and evidence-based decision-making to avoid potential pitfalls. Relying solely on positive thinking without taking practical steps towards one's goals may not yield the desired results. Combining a positive outlook with concrete actions and professional guidance, especially in the context of mental health, is likely the most effective approach.
In summary, while more research is needed to fully understand the mechanisms behind manifesting, the current evidence suggests that a positive outlook and certain manifestation techniques can indeed contribute to better health and well-being.
References
Boehm, J. K., Qureshi, F., Chen, Y., Soo, J., Umukoro, P., Hernandez, R., Lloyd-Jones, D., & Kubzansky, L. D. (2020). Optimism and cardiovascular health: Longitudinal findings from the coronary artery risk development in young adults study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 82(8), 774–781. https://doi.org/10.1097/psy.0000000000000855
Dixon, L. J., Hornsey, M. J., & Hartley, N. (2023). “The secret” to Success? the psychology of belief in manifestation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672231181162
Ehrlich, C. (2022). Evaluation of the happiness through goal-setting training. Psychological Reports, 126(4), 1910–1932. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941211071007
Hassabis, D., & Maguire, E. A. (2009). The construction system of the brain. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1521), 1263–1271. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2008.0296
Laranjeira, C., & Querido, A. (2022). Hope and optimism as an opportunity to improve the “positive mental health” demand. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.827320
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