Ever wonder if just thinking about what you want can make it happen? Welcome to the world of manifestation. Whether it's visualizing your dream job or feeling the excitement of hitting a major life goal, manifestation is all about turning thoughts into reality. But does it actually work? In this article, we’ll break down what manifestation is, where it comes from, the science behind it (yes, there’s some), and how you can use it in a practical, grounded way to align your mindset with your goals.
What is manifestation?
What one person defines as manifestation may not be the same as someone else’s version. For some, it’s the thought that if you truly believe and feel as though you already have what you want in your mind, the universe will conspire to make it happen in reality. For others, it’s more about aligning desires with attitudes and actions, which might naturally increase the chances of going after what you want.
At its core, manifestation is intentionally focusing your thoughts, beliefs, and emotions on desired outcomes. The idea is that the mental and emotional state created by doing so can make that outcome more likely to turn into a reality. How exactly it becomes a reality depends on who you talk to, whether it be the universe or increased confidence and focus that encourages you to take action.
In reality, manifesting can be a way to align yourself with your goals and put you in the best emotional state to go after them.
Origins of manifestation
Manifesting might have ancient roots, with ties to different spiritual traditions. For example, the power of thought and intention during meditation and prayer is practiced in Hinduism and Buddhism. Early Christian teachings also refer to the power of faith to shape reality.
More recently, the 'law of attraction' became famous and may have laid the foundation for what we consider manifestation today. This philosophy views visualization and gratitude as powerful processes that shape your attitude and beliefs. It states that the secret of all power depends on how you think. So, if you practice constructive imagination, you can make your dreams come true. Basically, what you think about and are thankful for is what you bring about.
The science behind manifestation
There aren’t many validated studies on manifestation, so understanding whether or not it works is hard to say. A recent 2023 study developed a manifestation scale and found that those who believed in it perceived themselves as more successful with strong desires for success. However, they were also more likely to be drawn to risky investments, have experienced bankruptcy, and believe they could achieve an unlikely level of success more quickly.
In the end, there isn’t any scientific proof for manifestation when defined as thinking and visualizing alone to automatically get your outcome. However, there may be components that research backs up — depending on how you define it.
Potential benefits of manifestation
Despite the lack of scientific evidence on manifestation alone, there are studies on visualization for goal-setting and emotional regulation.
Goal achievement
A review on visualization in athletes showed it may improve their physical performance and goal achievement.
In this case, visualization is defined as the practice of imagining and setting an intention for what you want to happen or experience. There’s imagining the outcome, but a key factor is also visualizing the process, using your senses while rehearsing the actions in your mind. For a basketball player, it could be imagining what exactly it would feel like, including the sounds and sensations of the ball and the environment around them, of making a shot from the three-point line.
By engaging multiple senses and focusing not just on the outcome but on the process, the athlete mentally rehearses the steps required for success, which might improve focus, muscle memory, and overall performance.
Emotional regulation
Another study on mental imagery and brain regulation showed it might help manage emotions and reduce stress. It suggests that imagining positive or challenging situations can activate similar parts of the brain as if you were experiencing them in real life. That means you might be able to activate the brain's reward and motivational circuitry and feel rewarded if you imagine something positive.
On the other hand, imagining something difficult might engage your amygdala, which processes fear and anxiety. This can be a helpful way to develop adaptive coping strategies. You can practice managing something challenging in a controlled way to think about how you could respond more effectively.
Are there any risks?
While manifestation sounds harmless, there might be a few risks, such as:
Inaction
Just believing things will come true without taking actionable steps to make change happen might lead to complacency or missed opportunities. For example, if you want to meet a romantic partner but don’t use dating apps or go out and meet new people, your chances of meeting someone might not be very high, statistically speaking.
Toxic positivity
Positive thinking, or positive psychology, can be misconstrued. Many believe that always focusing on positive emotions means there’s no space for the negative. However, discomfort and difficult emotions exist for a reason — they can push us to take action and improve our lives. Also, ignoring or stuffing down negative feelings might prevent people from getting to the root issue, or even lead to unhealthy coping mechanisms to numb or avoid the pain.
Worsened self-esteem
In general, positive thinking and affirmations alone don’t work for everyone. One review even pointed out that for people with low self-esteem, positive self-statements might make them feel even worse. It can lead to a mismatch in their self-beliefs, creating inner conflict and highlighting the gap between their self-perception and desires.
Believing that positive outcomes were achieved solely through wishful thinking, rather than your own efforts, may undermine self-confidence. This disconnect can weaken your sense of self-efficacy — the belief that you can accomplish your goals — which is key to resiliency and strong mental health.
Unrealistic expectations
Relying on a positive mindset or manifestation alone to bring you your heart’s desires might lead to disappointment, especially if what you want isn’t very practical. This can create unrealistic expectations, and when things don’t turn out as hoped, it can cause frustration and may impact your long-term motivation.
Science-based ways to practice manifestation
While science doesn’t back manifestation as magically bringing your dreams to life, combining components like visualization, goal-setting, and consistent action can increase your chances of success.
1. Set clear, specific goals
Manifesting might help you take the time to really consider what your goals are. This can help you achieve clarity, which is essential if you want to know what to work toward. Vague goals don’t work, so visualizing specifically what you want, using all your senses, can help you get a better idea of what you truly desire.
2. Visualize the process and the outcome
Imagining yourself going through all the actions needed to achieve your goal might set you up for success. It can help you think about any obstacles in your way in an emotionally controlled environment. It can also make you think ahead and already evaluate what steps you can take when you hit roadblocks — or avoid some altogether. In this sense, it can help prevent you from giving up at the first sign of difficulty and better prepare you to keep going until you achieve what you want.
For example, athletes don’t just visualize winning a game — they go through everything it will take to get there, like the specific moves and countless hours of effort of practice and preparation.
3. Improve your self-efficacy and compassion
What you think of yourself and how you treat yourself matters. Research suggests that feeling as though you can achieve your goals, also called a sense of self-efficacy, is key to increased motivation and enhanced performance. Self-compassion is also needed for picking yourself back up again after failure and helping you manage your emotions and any negative thoughts.
Aligning personal energy, or how you view yourself, is important. Just imagining yourself as successful, if you don’t believe it’s true, can lead to some inner conflict. So work on building up your confidence and self-efficacy by practicing following through on tiny goals to start.
4. Recognize your wins
We don’t usually take the time to congratulate ourselves for a job well done, but the more we do, the more we can increase our sense of self-efficacy. It can also help improve our feelings of motivation and gratitude for our efforts, helping to build our confidence and focus on our strengths.
5. Take consistent action
Science shows that visualization with real, consistent effort can make a difference toward achieving your goals. However, the goals also have to be manageable so we don’t lose confidence by not having the ability to follow through. A small action daily, no matter how tiny, can add up.
6. Reassess and readjust
If the goal isn’t working, it’s probably the goal, not necessarily you. It might not be practical for right now, or maybe your true desires have shifted, and you don’t even want it anymore. Continuously reassess your goals and make sure they’re achievable and important to you.
In the end, whether or not manifesting works all depends on how you define it. That also includes how realistic your goals are and the actions you take to go after them. In general, there is some rather limited scientific evidence to support the role of visualization in achieving your goals. However, it’s a bit more nuanced than just that because you also have to manage your mental health, including your confidence, self-compassion, and self-efficacy. Just thinking happy thoughts? There’s not much to back that up with real results.
Have you given manifestation a try, or are you curious to learn more? Drop your thoughts or experiences and let others know what worked for you.
FAQ
What does manifesting do to the brain?
Depending on how you practice manifesting, it might activate parts of the brain related to motivation, planning, and goal-setting.
Can manifestation come true?
If you manifest in a way that improves your focus, determination, confidence, and clarity enough to go after practical goals, your chances of success may increase.
Is manifestation scientifically proven?
Manifestation itself isn’t scientifically proven, but elements like visualization and goal-setting have research backing. These practices might help improve focus and performance when combined with actionable efforts.
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There are different ways to define manifesting, but in general, it’s intentionally focusing your thoughts, beliefs, and emotions on desired positive outcomes.
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There isn’t enough scientific evidence on manifestation alone to back up its validity. However, components like visualization and goal-setting can be effective for goal achievement.
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A healthy self-belief, including confidence, compassion, and self-efficacy, is essential for success, along with taking action on realistic goals.
9 resources
- Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin. "The Secret" to success? The psychology of belief in manifestation.
- American Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Innovation. A voyage into the visualization of athletic performances: a review.
- Frontiers in Psychiatry. Mental imagery and brain regulation—new links between psychotherapy and neuroscience.
- Human Brain Mapping. Emotional imagery: assessing pleasure and arousal in the brain's reward circuitry.
- Psychological Science. Positive self-statements: power for some, peril for others.
- American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine. Goal setting and action planning for health behavior change.
- Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being. Mechanisms of change in the relationship between self-compassion, emotion regulation, and mental health: a systematic review.
- Management Review Quarterly. The effects of visualization on judgment and decision-making: a systematic literature review.
- Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being. Believe, and you will achieve: changes over time in self-efficacy, engagement, and performance.
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