At first glance, the idea of the law of attraction is very appealing; you get back from the universe whatever you put out into it, because like energy attracts like energy. According to the film The Secret, it’s not only thinking about what you want to get back; you need to really pour some emotion into it in order to get results. But when you poke at it a bit, the whole idea starts to crumble.
I watched The Secret for the first time recently and a number of things struck me as wildly unreasonable. A prime example is the film’s claim that the universe is like catalogue shopping (my analogy, not theirs), and as long as you think and feel a desire for something, you just need to sit back and wait because the universe will turn your thoughts into things and just drop them in your lap.
Apparently “the law of attraction will give you what you want every time”. Are you getting bills in the mail? Well, that’s not because you owe money, obviously; it’s because you’re expecting to get more bills. Change your thinking to expect a cheque, and your credit card company will just forget about those overdue payments and some random person will start sending you money on behalf of the universe! No need to worry about how it will happen; the universe is going to figure that out for you.
Time for some pseudoscience
The Secret contains some fishy ideas about how the brain works. Some examples: “Every thought has a frequency”; “Thoughts are sending out the magnetic signal that’s drawing the parallel back to you”; “It has been proven now scientifically that an affirmative thought is hundreds of times more powerful than a negative thought”.
A 2007 issue of Scientific American questioned the accuracy of how the law of attraction represents brainwave electrical activity, and multiple authors have questioned other aspects of its purported scientific basis. A 2010 New York Times book review cited by Wikipedia calls The Secret pseudoscience and an “illusion of knowledge.” And do thoughts vibrate because quantum physics says so? No, they do not, and quantum physics says no such thing.
It’s not the same as the power of positive thinking
I’m not questioning the power of positive thinking to shape our experience. While the law of attraction may have some similarities to positive psychology concepts, there are some fundamental differences, and it leans more in the direction of toxic positivity than anything healthy.
Let’s consider Elie Wiesel, a remarkable, Nobel prize-winning Jewish author who survived detention in Nazi concentration camps. He is a powerful example of maintaining a positive attitude in order to survive unimaginable horrors. Did his attitude make the horrors go away and attract only positive things? Of course not. But it changed the framework of meaning through which he interpreted his experience.
However, this isn’t what the law of attraction is getting at. Instead, it seems to suggest that people ended up in concentration camps because somehow that’s what they were asking the universe for. Then they stayed there and suffered because they just weren’t properly asking the universe to be free. That’s a pretty gross idea.
Is mental illness your fault?
One area where the law of attraction really falls apart for me is when it comes to serious physical or mental illness. “Everything that’s coming into your life, you’re attracting into your life,” says “philosopher” Bob Proctor in The Secret (I could find no evidence of him being a philosopher in the sense of someone who has actually studied philosophy).
So, those of us, like me, who have a mental illness have somehow put crazy energy out there into the world in order to attract chronic illness our way? If we’re gripped by psychosis, is that because of something we’ve put out there into the ether? And when we try to end our lives, is that because we’re not shooting out enough “good vibes”?
Blaming people for mental illness and whatever other difficult things that happen to them seems like it comes from a rather privileged place. If Bob Proctor can “vibrate” away his problems, and take home a massive paycheque while he’s at it, that’s great for him, but it does sweet diddly squat for those of us stuck with mental illness.
Shouldn’t your actions matter?
I get that it’s good to try to be positive. There’s a whole field of positive psychology that leans in that direction without the pseudoscientific talk of thoughts radiating frequencies and positive and negative energies attracting each other. But how far can thinking/emoting get you without action? I can think wealthy thoughts all I want, but unless that spurs me to work on money management and pursue opportunities for growing wealth, it seems rather implausible that the universe would a) care, and b) throw money down from heaven and say “this is for you!”
If the positive thought acts as a motivator for action, I can see how that would be very powerful, but The Secret is very clear that action is not required; the universe will do the acting. Somehow, though, just hanging out eating, peeing, and sleeping dollars seems unlikely to get me very far in the wealth department.
Its many fans do not change the fact that the law of attraction is based on nothing more than hot air and the money that the whole machine generates. That being said, there are still some positive things to take away from it if one ignores its faulty underlying premise. Make sure your attitude is helping you, not getting in your way. The way you treat other people is likely to end up being reflected back to you in some way, so follow the golden rule and do unto others, etc.
You may also be interested in the post Can You Manifest a Purple People Eater?
Writing about science and debunking pseudoscience makes my heart sing! Visit the How to Spot Pseudoscience to explore other Science Corner posts on Mental Health @ Home.
The law of attraction is very real, but not in the “your wish is my command/the universe is like a shopping catalogue” BS that the Secret and some “LOA Gurus” present it as.
Yes, being positive about something you desire helps, of course wanting something so badly but being negative or pessimistic about it would be counterproductive whether you believe in the LOA or not. By being positive and having an optimistic empathetic outlook WILL in fact get you the things you desire, but not because of some metaphysical “tuned in to the right frequency” mumbo jumbo, but because having the right attitude is going to PUSH YOU TO TAKE ACTION and be a go-getter, and with a “I will not take no for an answer” you will surely accomplish your goals.
The LOA is very real but its been mainstreamed and turned into some really lame new-age pseudoscience thanks to “the secret” and a lot of them LOA “guru” youtubers…
Wonderful post.
Thanks!
LOA is real only based on physical laws, My experience with this is that some things works and some doesn’t work, there are limitations, the best way to make it work is to first change yourself and your beliefs and understand how the manifestation process works.
A lot of people don’t know how to receive.
Hi Ashley awesome post, I can totally agree with where you’re coming from!
Sometimes I see people go a bit O.T.T with the whole law of attraction and it really grinds my gears!
I have read the Secret and must agree that some of the information is a little airy-fairy, not that it isn’t helpful but it’s not as simple as ‘Wishing and receiving’.
Some manifestations are bigger than others, some take more time and commitment as well.
Wishful thinking is only a part of it, you must align yourself with action, emotion, and thought.
‘Just thinking about being rich’ Unfortunately won’t necessarily make you rich…
It takes a little more than that but positivity is a key element with the LOA, I have manifested amazing things into my life but not always how people imagine.
I wish that others would stop falsifying and fabricating an ancient belief system to turn a quick dollar, that upsets me a lot.
But anyway, thank you so much for this article I love hearing other peoples perspectives on the law of attraction !
Thanks for your comments!
Awesome post!
Thanks!
In certain ways yes. But not so clear cut as described in the secret.
I think the LOA has done a huge disservice to people who suffer. Again. While lining the pockets of the few. It does so in the name of having all the answers. No one and no system has all the answers. Certainly not the LOA folks who say that it’s your fault when it’s raining. Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit.
Yeah, the blame-y side of it is pretty yucky.
There is a similar notion within the Anonymous sect. You often hear folks say sh*t like, “You must wait for the miracle.” A comment I absolutely despise. It leaves newcomers — those whose wounds are still bleeding — thinking that prayer alone is the answer. In response, I like to say this in meetings:
If you’re standing in the middle of the street with an empty toolbox — screaming to the heavens that you need a hammer — “God” may only have the time to look down upon you and say, “Good Lord, stop looking up. The Ace Hardware is right in front of you. Move your own damn feet!”
Love this post!
That’s an awesome response!
Your “hint” made me lol: I love a good aside 😊
When I was younger and the book was ranked as the bestseller, I almost bought into the idea. As I have grown older, I started to learn that no matter how much you have in your brain, if you never act it out for the betterment of our humankind, it’s just empty talk because something good should have good influence on people. Money doesn’t grow on trees or fall from the sky, we need to work for it. Despite that, I am still a fan of Words of Affirmation so long as they make me and people feel better.
I think positive self-talk can definitely make a difference. I suspect that the idea of the law of attraction remains popular because people like the positive thinking aspect.
Yes, I think the same. Maybe that’s one of the selling points:)
I believe this wholeheartedly!
My son got involved in “LOL (aka Manifestation). He delved into it deeply and here’s the result: Broken marriage, in debt (never was in debt before), delusions and psychosis. It ruined his career and life because he truly believes the “universe” will provide. He was great at his job, a fantastic father, and wonderful, dependable friend. His delusions have isolated him from everyone he loved! People- when it’s too good to be true then it’s too good to be true! Live in reality with positive thinking, work hard, and never fall for anything that makes unproven claims. It’s shameful that these authors are spewing garbage and getting rich of these fantastical premises! BUYER AND BELIEVER BEWARE!
I’m sorry to hear he was affected that way.
Are you having a failed relationship
thinking your spouse has left you. Don’t worry, I am here to help you with any relationship issues going on in your life. Feel free to send me a message if you need help with my spiritual abilities to restore your relationship.kindly message me on WhatsApp +2349132662566 or via my page link
👇👇👇
https://www.quora.com/profile/Dr-Madu-1?ch=10&oid=1681751366&share=1849f543&srid=hXjItH&target_type=user
This stuff is pretty much guaranteed to worsen severe psychosis or even develop it in already unhealthy individuals, too