Dr. Phil McGraw and Dr. John Whyte
Older generations knew it as “the power of positive thinking.” Today’s youth embrace the concept as “manifestation” − with 36 billion and counting TikTok views to prove it.
Manifestation is the mental process of envisioning and positively affirming a desired outcome − whether that’s a new relationship, a promotion, a trimmer waistline or inner peace. The idea is that mental exercise can lead to real-world achievement. And while it’s no panacea for mental health and a purpose-driven life, manifestation really can help people formulate and achieve their goals.
Techniques for manifestation vary. Some advocates suggest a “manifestation journal,” where you write goals and record the steps you’re taking toward them.
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Recitation of a positive mantra is another common technique. “I think I can, I think I can” helped “The Little Engine That Could” get over the hill in the classic children’s book.
“Scripting” involves writing down how you’d like a scene to play out: For example, the conversation you’ve been meaning to have with your boss about a raise, or asking your crush out on a date. Committing the scene to words can help manifest a desirable ending in real life.
Can you really change your life with manifestation?
The idea of manifesting an outcome is hardly new. Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu and 19th-century transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson advocated for versions of the same idea. “The Power of Positive Thinking” was the title of a 1952 book by Norman Vincent Peale.
Critics panned Peale’s book for wishful thinking. But with more than 5 million copies sold, readers clearly got something out of it.
Still, it’s a legitimate question: How effective is manifestation at creating real change?
As a practicing physician and a mental health professional with a long-standing interest in the intersection between mind and body, we looked at the data − and found fascinating results.
Let’s start with the bad news: No, you can’t imagine yourself into a billion dollar windfall or a slimmer waist. Anybody trying to sell you something like that is probably manifesting that there’s a sucker born every minute.
The good news is that there’s sound scientific evidence that shows positive words and positive thinking can improve your health and quality of life. The key is improved motivation.
Mental health professionals have long known there’s power in positive thinking. A key tenant of cognitive behavioral therapy, a widely used psychological treatment, is that thoughts are behaviors because they’re observable by at least one person: ourselves. So a pattern of positive thinking can actually help us behave our way to success.
‘Learned optimism’ can help us overcome problems
The father of positive psychology, Martin Seligman, developed the concept of “learned optimism.” By explaining events using positive terms, rather than lamenting what befalls or could befall us, we can approach life’s problems constructively.
Optimism can also impact our physical health. According to the Mayo Clinic, positive thinking can lead to lower rates of depression and better coping skills during periods of stress. And a 2009 analysis of more than 80 studies involving thousands of patients found optimistic people had better outcomes in pain management, immune function, cardiovascular health and survival rates from serious illness.
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Data shows the significance of the brain-body connection. Thanks to our brains’ neuroplasticity, optimistic thinking creates new neural pathways that improve cognitive function. In her 2019 book, “The Source,” neuroscientist Tara Swart writes, “Manifestation practices impact mental health mostly through the motivation, reward, and movement pathways of our brains, which are correlated with dopamine and the mood regions governed by serotonin.”
A similar phenomenon was documented in brain scans of people who practice meditation. Meditation, similar to some manifestation techniques, can involve repeated visualization or recitation of a mantra to induce a peaceful state. Research suggests people who regularly meditate have improved cognitive function and less age-related brain degeneration compared to those who don’t.
Visualization techniques also play a critical role in many athletes’ training regimens, including that of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps.
Picturing a routine, such as a gymnastics floor exercise, activates the same regions in the brain as physically practicing it. That’s why many athletes say you have to “see it before you do it.”
Manifestation is not a substitute for action
Nonetheless, there are dark sides to manifestation, and people must look out for them.
Our thinking has become too optimistic if we conclude it will automatically produce a desired result. As a motivator to action, manifestation can be great. As a substitute for action, it’s a bust. One example: Gabriele Oettingen, a psychology professor at New York University, found that dieters who fantasized more about weight loss were less likely to achieve their goals.
Manifestation can also create feelings of shame and guilt when the desired outcome fails to materialize.
Positive thinking by itself can’t overcome poverty, racism, sexism or serious mental and physical health problems. Advocates of manifestation must acknowledge that. Failure to do so can be especially problematic for members of marginalized communities who face systemic barriers that can’t be wished away.
For others, especially those who suffer from repetitive or obsessive thought patterns, manifesting can increase anxiety. It can be deeply unsettling to believe that thinking about a particular outcome − a loved one’s death, for example − can somehow cause that event to occur.
To overcome some of these limitations, it’s important that manifesters maintain a few guardrails. For example, carefully tread the line between healthy motivation and unhealthy overreaching. If we both decided we wanted to become NBA stars, for example, we might want to keep our day jobs while we start training.
We must also avoid focusing on things we can’t control. It’s one thing to manifest a relaxing vacation and take actionable steps to achieve it. But it’s another thing entirely to manifest a vacation without bad weather − a phenomenon we can’t control.
On balance, manifestation can be a powerful tool in taking control of your life and health. The most successful strategies involve practicing optimism and positive self-talk alongside focused, incremental action. Thinking isn’t doing, but doing starts with thinking.
Phil McGraw, Ph.D., is one of the most well-known mental health professionals in the world and the host of one of daytime TV’s top-rated program, “Dr. Phil.” Dr. John Whyte is chief medical officer of WebMD.
