Maja D'Aoust

The law of attraction is a spiritual belief originating from the New Thought movement, positing that one's thoughts, whether positive or negative, attract corresponding experiences into their life. This concept is based on the idea that individuals and their thoughts are composed of energy, and that similar energies attract each other, thereby influencing health, wealth, and relationships.

While proponents utilize techniques like cognitive reframing, affirmations, and visualization to cultivate positive thinking and emotions, the law of attraction lacks empirical scientific evidence and is often categorized as pseudoscience or religion. Despite this, it has gained significant popularity through various books, media, and modern interpretations such as 'manifestation' and 'lucky girl syndrome'. Critics point to the misuse of scientific language and highlight potential negative consequences like increased risk-taking and susceptibility to self-blame when desired outcomes are not achieved.

The principles underlying the law of attraction trace back to the 19th-century New Thought movement, influenced by figures like Phineas Quimby, who explored the mind-body connection. While Quimby did not use the specific term, his ideas about mental influence on physical well-being laid groundwork. The term 'law of attraction' itself is noted to have first appeared in 1855. Prentice Mulford is credited as an early articulator of the concept as a general principle, discussing it in his essays. This was followed by other New Thought authors like Henry Wood and Ralph Waldo Trine, who expanded the law's application beyond health to all aspects of life.

The 20th century saw a significant rise in the popularity of the law of attraction, fueled by influential books such as Napoleon Hill's 'Think and Grow Rich' and Norman Vincent Peale's 'The Power of Positive Thinking'. Later, the 'Chicken Soup for the Soul' series and the 2006 film and book 'The Secret' brought the concept to a wider audience. More recently, 'manifestation' has emerged as a modernized version, involving visualization and directing requests to the universe. The 'lucky girl syndrome,' popular in the early 2020s, is a contemporary iteration emphasizing belief and positive affirmations to attract desired outcomes, particularly among younger demographics online.

Despite its widespread appeal, the law of attraction is widely regarded by the scientific community as lacking empirical support and is often labeled as pseudoscience. Critics highlight the misapplication of scientific concepts by its proponents. Research suggests that while belief in manifestation may correlate with a higher perceived sense of success, it can also be associated with increased risk-taking, particularly financial, potentially leading to negative outcomes like bankruptcy. Furthermore, concepts like 'lucky girl syndrome' have been criticized for promoting toxic positivity, potentially leading to self-blame and ignoring systemic inequalities when individuals do not achieve their desired results.

“the trouble is in the mind, for the body is only the house for the mind to dwell in, and we put a value on it according to its worth. Therefore if your mind has been deceived by some invisible enemy into a belief, you have put it into the form of a disease, with or without your knowledge. By my theory or truth, I come in contact with your enemy and restore you to your health and happiness. This I do partly mentally and partly by talking till I correct the wrong impressions and establish the Truth, and the Truth is the cure.”

“The law of attraction will certainly and unerringly bring to you the conditions, environment, and experiences in life, corresponding with your habitual, characteristic, predominant mental attitude.”

“The law of attraction works universally on every plane of action, and we attract whatever we desire or expe”