The Psychology Behind the Law of Attraction

With the rise of new-age spiritual movements, one trend observed on social media, particularly among the youth is the Law of Attraction. While this phenomenon lacks sufficient scientific evidence, testimonies and success stories have helped garner attention towards this metaphysical understanding of life. The concept of the Law of Attraction might seemingly be in trend in recent times.

However, it is indeed an ancient concept embedded in universal laws. It is based upon the assertion that one can create and influence their own life. In other words, the law of attraction builds on the premise that our thoughts create our reality. This could be understood through a simple example. Before reading this article, you clicked on the link because you thought that this article would be interesting and decided to read it. In other words, the primary thought of finding the title of the article interesting leads you to act upon your thought and read this article. 

Similarly, having certain thoughts can trigger actions based on the valence and intensity of those thoughts. Positive thoughts are likely to motivate you to engage in positive action, that further gives positive outcomes. The same is the case with negative thoughts. This understanding can be stretched further to help individuals use their thoughts to create their reality. 

Now, you might ask – “Well, that’s all good. But how does it work?”

How does the Law of Attraction work?

In Joe Dispenza’s book Becoming Supernatural, the law of attraction is explained neurobiologically. According to Dispenza, when we think a thought, a network of neurons fires in our brain creating electrical changes. However, when those thoughts cause a chemical reaction resulting in a feeling or emotion, or vice versa, magnetic charges are created. The merging of electric and magnetic charges produces a specific electromagnetic field resonating with your state of being. 

However, it should be noted that humans have many thousands of thoughts in a single day, and each one of them is not acted upon. This asserts that there is more data that our brains and senses attend to, but not process. In such cases, our brains prioritize certain information and ignore others. What we prioritize is at the forefront of our attention, and what we don’t prioritize is in the background. In practising the law of attraction, we focus only on what we want, and that provides us cues to search for related thoughts, feelings, and actions. As a result, we end up engaging in actions associated with our desires. Over time, this results in the manifestation of our desires in our reality. 

In addition to focusing on positive thoughts and desires, another practice commonly used in the law of attraction is visualization. Individuals using this practice usually visualize that they are experiencing all their desires in the present moment. According to Dispenza, if one focuses their attention on specific imagery in their mind along with repeated thoughts and feelings, their body and mind will not know the difference between their internal and external reality. Repeatedly doing this activity with focus and engagement will make your brain and body look as if a physical experience has already happened without having the experience. This, in turn, determines your future because you act according to your desired state almost automatically.

Now, spiritual practitioners also claim that you can think your way to good health. While this seems like a bogus statement, it might not be entirely false. Think positive emotions can lead to the up-regulation of Immunoglobulin A (IgA). This principal antibody class acts as an important first line of defence. This is in contrast to cortisol secretion due to the stress arising from negative thoughts, which is detrimental to not just physical but overall well-being.

Positive thoughts also lead to the release of happy hormones such as dopamine and serotonin. When you engage in positive action, your brain’s reward centre is fired up, and more dopamine is released. As a result of your brain being full of happy reward chemicals, you feel a sense of well-being and your mood improves. This makes your perspective about your external reality better and happier, and all that happens because you start with a positive thought.

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Another indirect benefit of practising the law of attraction is its connection to spirituality. Spirituality is known to be associated with benefits such as reduced stress, better health, lower depression and better overall well-being. Considering the law of attraction as a spiritual practice can help experience the benefits of spirituality as well. 

Read More: The Psychology Behind Attraction

Parallels could also be drawn between the law of attraction and cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT). Just like CBT, the primary goals of practising the law of attraction are to challenge one’s negative self-talk and replace it with more positive self-talk and affirmations. This positive self-talk provides us with a newfound confidence, which leads us to take more risks, notice more opportunities, and open ourselves up to new possibilities. 

Nevertheless, practising the law of attraction is not entirely harmful. So, why not try it this year?

Some tips to incorporate the practice of the Law of Attraction this year 

1. Journaling and self-reflection
2. Identifying short-term and long-term goals 
3. Making vision boards
4. Practicing acceptance and gratitude 
5. Practicing positive self-talk and affirmations 
6. Visualization  
7. Imagining that you already have what you want

Read More: The Power of Breathwork

Despite its potential benefits, the pitfalls of the law of attraction should also be considered. One major pitfall is that people might rely completely on their thoughts and not take inspired action. In some cases, no action can produce effects. However, positive thoughts coupled with positive actions give the best outcomes. Another pitfall of this phenomenon is that people tend to shame and blame themselves if their desires do not manifest, or worse, they get to experience negative outcomes. One of the sub-laws of the law of attraction counters this pitfall. The law of delicate balance reminds people that it is normal to have bad days and setbacks occasionally. It is suggested that you look at such experiences as learning opportunities, instead of failures. 

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Happy Manifesting!