View source for Law of attraction (New Thought)

{{Short description|Pseudoscientific belief}}
{{Other uses|Law of attraction (disambiguation){{!}}Law of attraction}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{incomplete citations|date=February 2024}}
{{New Thought beliefs}}
{{Paranormal}}
The '''law of attraction''' is the [[New Thought]] spiritual belief that positive or negative thoughts bring positive or negative experiences into a person's life.<ref name=gazette>{{cite news |last=Whittaker |first=S. |url=http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=78fc94dd-c0b2-4ade-891d-98770bfae388&k=70777 |title=Secret Attraction |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304090328/http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/story.html?id=78fc94dd-c0b2-4ade-891d-98770bfae388&k=70777 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |newspaper=The Montreal Gazette |date=12 May 2007}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last=Redden | first=Guy | title=Magic happens: A new age metaphysical mystery tour | journal=Journal of Australian Studies | publisher=Informa UK Limited | volume=23 | issue=62 | year=1999 | issn=1444-3058 | doi=10.1080/14443059909387505 | pages=101–104}}</ref> The belief is based on the idea that people and their thoughts are made from "[[Energy (esotericism)|pure energy]]" and that like energy can attract like energy, thereby allowing people to improve their health, wealth, or personal relationships. There is no empirical scientific evidence supporting the law of attraction, and it is widely considered to be [[pseudoscience]] or religion couched in scientific language. This belief has alternative names that have varied in popularity over time, including '''manifestation''' and '''lucky girl syndrome'''.
Advocates generally combine [[cognitive reframing]] techniques with affirmations and [[creative visualization]] to replace limiting or self-destructive ("negative") thoughts with more empowered, adaptive ("positive") thoughts. A key component of the philosophy is the idea that in order to effectively change one's negative thinking patterns, one must also "feel" (through creative visualization) that the desired changes have already occurred. This combination of positive thought and positive emotion is believed to allow one to attract positive experiences and opportunities by achieving resonance with the proposed energetic law.
While some supporters of the law of attraction refer to scientific theories and use them as arguments in favor of it,<ref>{{cite book | last=Taylor | first=Travis S. | title=The science behind the secret: decoding the law of attraction & the universal quantum connection | publisher=Baen Pub. Enterprises | publication-place=Wake Forest, NC | date=2010 | isbn=978-1-4391-3339-2 | oclc=419815471 | page=}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Cheung|first=Valen |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36453397-the-loa-skeptic |title=The LOA Skeptic: How to Think Scientifically About the Law of Attraction}}</ref> it has no demonstrable scientific basis.<ref name="Live Science">{{cite web
| last = Radford | first = Benjamin
| author-link = Benjamin Radford
| title = The Pseudoscience of 'The Secret'
| work = [[Live Science]]
| date = 3 February 2009
| url = http://www.livescience.com/5303-pseudoscience-secret.html
| access-date = 31 March 2017
}}</ref> A number of scientists have criticized the misuse of scientific concepts by its proponents.<ref name="Scientific American">{{cite journal |last=Shermer|first=Michael|author-link=Michael Shermer|date=1 June 2007|title=The (Other) Secret|journal=[[Scientific American]]|volume=296 |issue=6 |pages=39|doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0607-39|pmid=17663221|bibcode=2007SciAm.296f..39S}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{cite web|last=Stenger |first=Victor J. |title=Cosmic Mind |url=http://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/vstenger/Quantum/01CosmicMind.pdf |publisher=University of Colorado |author-link=Victor Stenger |pages=8–19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924013317/http://www.colorado.edu/philosophy/vstenger/Quantum/01CosmicMind.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015 }}</ref><ref name="Leon Lederman 1993 189–198">{{cite book |title=The God Particle: If the Universe is the Answer, What is the Question |url=https://archive.org/details/godparticle00tere |url-access=limited |pages=[https://archive.org/details/godparticle00tere/page/n195 189]–198 |author=Leon Lederman |author2=Dick Teresi |date=1993 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin Company|isbn=9780395558492 }}</ref><ref name="plato.stanford.edu">{{Cite book|url=https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/fall2021/entries/pseudo-science/|title=The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy|first=Sven Ove|last=Hansson|editor-first=Edward N.|editor-last=Zalta|date=26 August 2021|publisher=Metaphysics Research Lab, Stanford University|via=Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy}}</ref> Recent empirical research has shown that while individuals who indulge in manifestation and law of attraction beliefs often do exhibit higher perceived levels of success, these beliefs are also seen being associated with higher risk taking behaviors, particularly financial risks, and show a susceptibility to bankruptcy.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Dixon |first1=Lucas J. |last2=Hornsey |first2=Matthew J. |last3=Hartley |first3=Nicole |date=2023-07-08 |title="The Secret" to Success? The Psychology of Belief in Manifestation |journal=Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin |language=en |doi=10.1177/01461672231181162 |issn=0146-1672|doi-access=free |pmid=37421301 }}</ref>
==History==
The [[New Thought]] movement grew out of the teachings of [[Phineas Quimby]] in the early 19th century. Early in his life, Quimby was diagnosed with [[tuberculosis]]. Early 19th century medicine had no reliable cure for tuberculosis. Quimby took to horse riding and noted that intense excitement temporarily relieved him from his affliction. This method for relieving his pain and seemingly subsequent recovery prompted Quimby to pursue a study of "Mind over Body".<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hughes|first1=n|title=Phineas Parkhurst Quimby|url=http://phineasquimby.wwwhubs.com/|access-date=5 December 2017}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=February 2024}}  Although he never used the words "Law of Attraction", he explained this in a statement that captured the concept in the field of health: {{blockquote|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.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Quimby Manuscripts|url=http://newthoughtlibrary.com/quimbyPhineas/manuscripts/pages/quimby-manuscripts-194.htm|publisher=New Thought library|access-date=1 June 2015}}</ref>|sign=|source=}}
Historian [[Mitch Horowitz]] noted that the term "Law of Attraction" first appeared in 1855 in ''The Great Harmonia'', vol. IV, by American [[Spiritualism (movement)|Spiritualist]] [[Andrew Jackson Davis]], in a context alluding to the human [[soul]] and spheres of the [[afterlife]].<ref>{{cite book | last=Horowitz | first=Mitch | author-link=Mitch Horowitz | title=Occult America | year=2009 | page=96 | publisher=Bantam Books | isbn=978-0-553-80675-5}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Horowitz | first=Mitch | author-link=Mitch Horowitz | title=Happy Warriors: The Lives and Ideas of the Positive-Mind Mystics | year=2024 | page=38 | publisher=G&D Media | isbn=978-1-722-50675-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last=Horowitz | first=Mitch | author-link=Mitch Horowitz | title=One Simple Idea: How Positive Thinking Reshaped Modern Life | year=2014 | pages=108–109 | publisher=[[Crown Publishing Group|Crown Publishing]] | isbn=978-0-307-98649-8}}</ref>
The first articulator of the law of attraction as general principle was [[Prentice Mulford]]. Mulford, a pivotal figure in the development of New Thought thinking, discusses the law at length in his essay "The Law of Success",<ref>{{cite book|title=Your Forces and How to Use Them, Vol. 1|url=https://archive.org/stream/yourforcesandho09mulfgoog#page/n66/mode/2up|publisher=New York, F.J. Needham|year=1888}}</ref> published 1886–1887. In this, Mulford was followed by other New Thought authors, such as Henry Wood (starting with his ''God's Image in Man'',<ref>{{cite book|title=God's Image in Man, Ch. 6, "The Universality of Law"|url=https://archive.org/stream/godsimageinmans01woodgoog#page/n134/mode/2up|publisher=Lee and Shepard Publishers, 1892}}</ref> 1892), and [[Ralph Waldo Trine]] (starting with his first book, ''What All the World's A-Seeking'',<ref>{{cite book|title=What All the World's A-Seeking|url=https://archive.org/details/whatallworldsas00tringoog|publisher=New Canaan, Conn., Keats Pub|year=1973}}</ref> 1896). For these authors, the law of attraction is concerned not only about health but every aspect of life.<ref>{{cite web|title=In Tune With The Infinite|url=http://newthoughtlibrary.com/trineRalphWaldo/inTune/pages/in-tune-with-the-infinite-026.htm#TopOfText|publisher=New Thought Library|access-date=13 June 2015|url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702233718/http://newthoughtlibrary.com/trineRalphWaldo/inTune/pages/in-tune-with-the-infinite-026.htm | archive-date=July 2, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The God in You |url=http://prenticemulford.wwwhubs.com/tgiy.htm |publisher=Cornerstone Publishing |year=2001 |access-date=2 July 2015}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=February 2024}}
The 20th century saw a surge in interest in the subject with many books being written about it, amongst which are two of the [[List of best-selling books|best-selling books]] of all time; ''[[Think and Grow Rich]]'' (1937) by [[Napoleon Hill]], ''[[The Power of Positive Thinking]]'' (1952) by [[Norman Vincent Peale]], and ''[[You Can Heal Your Life]]'' (1984) by [[Louise Hay]]. The [[Esther Hicks|Abraham-Hicks]] material is based primarily around the law of attraction.
In 2006, the concept of the law of attraction gained renewed exposure with the release of the film ''[[The Secret (2006 film)|The Secret]]'' (2006) which was then developed into a book of the same title in the same year. The movie and book gained widespread media coverage.<ref name=gazette /><ref name=oprah1>{{cite web |url= http://www.oprah.com/spirit/The-Law-of-Attraction-Real-Life-Stories_1 |title=The Law of Attraction: Real-Life Stories - Oprah.com |work=oprah.com |access-date=8 November 2010}}</ref><ref name=oprah2>{{cite web |url= http://www.oprah.com/spirit/Go-Beyond-The-Secret_1 |title=Go Beyond 'The Secret' - Oprah.com |work=oprah.com |access-date=8 November 2010}}</ref> This was followed by a sequel, ''[[The Power (self-help book)|The Power]]'' in 2010 that talks about the law of attraction being the law of love.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Business/power-author-rhonda-byrnes-book/story?id=11421349|title=The Secret Is Out: Megahit Writer Says Power of Love Will Fill Your Bank Account|last=NANCE-NASH|first=SHERYL|date=18 August 2010|work=ABC News|access-date=29 August 2018}}</ref>
A modernized version of the law of attraction is known as '''manifestation''', which refers to various [[self-help]] strategies that can purportedly make an individual's wishes come true by mentally visualizing them.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Weingus |first=Leigh |title=Can You Really Attract the Things You Want via Manifestation? Here's What to Know About the Technique People Are Obsessing Over |url=https://parade.com/1065715/leighweingus/manifestation-definition/ |access-date=2022-09-23 |website=Parade: Entertainment, Recipes, Health, Life, Holidays |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Jennings |first=Rebecca |date=2020-10-23 |title=Manifesting is the new astrology |url=https://www.vox.com/the-goods/21524975/manifesting-does-it-really-work-meme |access-date=2022-09-23 |website=Vox |language=en}}</ref> Manifestation techniques<ref name="Brogley">{{cite web |last1=Brogley |first1=Gianna |title=The psychology behind manifestation |url=https://thecampanile.org/2020/10/24/the-psychology-behind-manifestation/ |website=The Campanile |access-date=4 February 2021 |date=24 October 2020}}</ref> involve [[New Thought|positive thinking]] or directing requests to "the universe"<ref name="Zapata">{{cite web |last1=Zapata |first1=Kimberly |title=How to Manifest Anything You Want or Desire |url=https://www.oprahmag.com/life/a30244004/how-to-manifest-anything/ |website=[[The Oprah Magazine]] |access-date=4 February 2021 |date=22 December 2020}}</ref> as well as actions on the part of the individual.<ref name="Fournier">{{cite web |last1=Fournier |first1=Denise |title=Manifestation: The Real Deal |url=https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mindfully-present-fully-alive/201812/manifestation-the-real-deal |website=[[Psychology Today]] |access-date=4 February 2021 |date=27 December 2018}}</ref>
===Lucky girl syndrome===
An incarnation of the law of attraction appearing in the early 2020s is known as '''lucky girl syndrome.''' According to ''[[Women's Health (magazine)|Woman's Health]]'' this is "the idea that you can attract things you want (like luck, money, love, etc.) by repeating mantras and truly believing things will work out for you."<ref>{{cite web |last1=TEMPERA |first1=JACQUELINE |title=What Is Lucky Girl Syndrome? The Latest Manifestation Trend Taking Over TikTok, Explained |url=https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a42552258/lucky-girl-syndrome-tiktok/ |website=womenshealthmag.com |publisher=Women's Health Magazine |access-date=27 December 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231227213142/https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a42552258/lucky-girl-syndrome-tiktok/ |archive-date=27 December 2023 |date=20 January 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> In early 2023 [[AARP]] explained that "The newest self-help craze, lucky girl syndrome is Gen Z's spin on books like ''The Power of Positive Thinking'', ''The Secret'' and ''Manifest Your Destiny: The Nine Spiritual Principles for Getting Everything You Want.'' This year's version, however, puts the emphasis on luck and consistently reminding yourself that the universe is conspiring to make good things happen for you because you are a lucky person.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Bacher |first1=Renée |title=How to Catch 'Lucky Girl Syndrome' and Why You'd Want to |url=https://www.aarp.org/home-family/friends-family/info-2023/lucky-girl-syndrome.html |website=aarp.org |publisher=AARP |access-date=27 December 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231227220606/https://www.aarp.org/home-family/friends-family/info-2023/lucky-girl-syndrome.html |archive-date=27 December 2023 |date=15 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[BBC]] reported that "There isn't scientific evidence for it" and "some have labeled it 'smuggest TikTok trend yet'".<ref>{{cite web |last1=Collins |first1=Riyah |title=Lucky Girl Syndrome: Smug TikTok trend or life-changing positivity? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-64251820 |website=BBC.com |publisher=BBC |access-date=27 December 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231227224049/https://www.bbc.com/news/newsbeat-64251820 |archive-date=27 December 2023 |date=13 January 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
A January 2023 article in [[CNET]] explained that "thousands of people across TikTok have posted videos about how this manifestation strategy has changed their lives, bringing them new opportunities they never expected. Manifestation is the concept of thinking things into being -- by believing something enough, it will happen."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Leamey |first1=Taylor |title='Lucky Girl Syndrome': The Science Behind TikTok's New Trend That Rewires Your Brain |url=https://www.cnet.com/health/mental/lucky-girl-syndrome-the-science-behind-this-new-tiktok-trend/ |website=cnet.com |publisher=CNET |access-date=27 December 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231227213743/https://www.cnet.com/health/mental/lucky-girl-syndrome-the-science-behind-this-new-tiktok-trend/ |archive-date=27 December 2023 |date=27 January 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Also in January 2023, [[Today.com]] reported that "Different manifestation techniques are taking over TikTok, and "lucky girl syndrome" is the latest way people claim to achieve the life they desire." It also said that "Videos detailing the power of positive thinking have amassed millions of views on TikTok, and manifestation experts seem to approve." The article also quoted a manifestation coach as saying "the lucky girl mindset is, indeed, a true practice of manifestation", and that it has been around for years.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Wood |first1=Becca |title=What is 'lucky girl syndrome'? The manifestation technique, explained |url=https://www.today.com/life/inspiration/lucky-girl-syndrome-manifestation-rcna64759 |website=today.com |publisher=Today |access-date=27 December 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231227220215/https://www.today.com/life/inspiration/lucky-girl-syndrome-manifestation-rcna64759 |archive-date=27 December 2023 |date=18 January 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
As reported by [[Vox Media|Vox]], "If 2020 was the year that TikTokers discovered ''The Secret''{{snd}}that is, the idea that you can make anything you want happen if you believe in it enough{{snd}}then the two years that followed are when they've tried to rebrand it into perpetual relevance. Its most recent makeover is something rather ominously called "lucky girl syndrome..." The article also reported that "What lucky girl syndrome{{snd}}and ''The Secret'', and the 'law of attraction', or the 'law of assumption', and prosperity gospel, and any of the other branches of this kind of New Age thinking{{snd}}really amounts to, though, is 'manifesting', or the practice of repeatedly writing or saying declarative statements in the hopes that they will soon become true." The Vox article concludes "It never hurts to be curious, though. When you come across a shiny new term on TikTok, it's worth interrogating where it came from, and whether the person using it is someone worth listening to. Often, it's not that they're any better at living than you are; they're just better at marketing it."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Jennings |first1=Rebecca |title=Lucky girl syndrome and the endless rebranding of "The Secret" |url=https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23580200/lucky-girl-syndrome-tiktok-manifesting |website=vox.com |publisher=VOX |access-date=27 December 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231227212025/https://www.vox.com/the-goods/23580200/lucky-girl-syndrome-tiktok-manifesting |archive-date=27 December 2023 |date=1 February 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Attempting to explain the attraction of lucky girl syndrome, ''[[Parents (magazine)|Parents ]]'' interviewed an [[LCSW]] therapist for teens and their families on the subject who opined that "It makes us feel like we're in control of our lives. [[Generation Z|Gen Z]] is constantly exposed to bad news, from layoffs to political conflicts to the student loan crisis. It makes sense that they'd be drawn to something that would make them feel a greater sense of agency and control."<ref>{{cite web |last1=Mayer |first1=Beth Ann |title=What 'Lucky Girl Syndrome' Is and What It Means for Kids |url=https://www.parents.com/what-is-lucky-girl-syndrome-7100898 |website=parents.com |publisher=Parents Magazine |access-date=27 December 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231227214351/https://www.parents.com/what-is-lucky-girl-syndrome-7100898 |archive-date=27 December 2023 |date=31 January 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
''[[The Conversation (website)|The Conversation]]'' warned of the negative side of lucky girl syndrome, saying that what most videos on the topic suggest is "that what you put out to the universe is what you will get in return. So if you think you're poor or unsuccessful, this is what you'll get back. Obviously, this is quite an unhelpful message, which likely won't do much for the self-esteem of people who don't feel particularly lucky{{snd}}let alone those facing significant hardship."<ref>{{cite web |title=Lucky girl syndrome: the potential dark side of TikTok's extreme positive thinking trend |url=https://theconversation.com/lucky-girl-syndrome-the-potential-dark-side-of-tiktoks-extreme-positive-thinking-trend-198439 |website=theconversation.com |publisher=The Conversation |access-date=27 December 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231227221132/https://theconversation.com/lucky-girl-syndrome-the-potential-dark-side-of-tiktoks-extreme-positive-thinking-trend-198439 |archive-date=27 December 2023 |date=2 March 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
Also regarding negative consequences, ''[[Harper's Bazaar]]'' warned that lucky girl syndrome has much in common with toxic positivity and that "If you try it, and it doesn't work for you, it could become yet another stick to beat yourself with. If you already feel vulnerable or wobbly, this could well be something else that makes you feel bad about yourself... it ignores the fact that life is not fair. And it ignores that some people are more privileged than others. It doesn't take into account the systemic and structural biases and inequalities that exist in the world."<ref>{{cite web |title=What is 'lucky girl' syndrome and does it actually work? The psychology behind positive affirmations – and the dangers of toxic positivity |url=https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/beauty/mind-body/a42590695/lucky-girl-syndrome/ |website=harpersbazaar.com |publisher=Harpers Bazaar |access-date=27 December 2023 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20231227224920/https://www.harpersbazaar.com/uk/beauty/mind-body/a42590695/lucky-girl-syndrome/ |archive-date=27 December 2023 |date=23 January 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>
==Descriptions==
Proponents believe that the law of attraction is always in operation and that it brings to each person the conditions and experiences that they predominantly think about, or which they desire or expect.
[[Charles F. Haanel|Charles Haanel]] wrote in ''[[The Master Key System]]'' (1912):
{{blockquote|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.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Master Key System. Chapter 8, part 18.|url=http://newthoughtlibrary.com/haanel-charles/Master-Key-System/audioEbook/master-key-systemRAW.pdf|publisher=New Thought Library|access-date=25 June 2015}}</ref>|sign=|source=}}
Ralph Trine wrote in ''In Tune with the Infinite'' (1897):
{{blockquote|The law of attraction works universally on every plane of action, and we attract whatever we desire or expect. If we desire one thing and expect another, we become like houses divided against themselves, which are quickly brought to desolation. Determine resolutely to expect only what you desire, then you will attract only what you wish for.<ref>{{cite web|title=In Tune With The Infinite, by Ralph Trine|url=http://newthoughtlibrary.com/trineRalphWaldo/inTune/pages/in-tune-with-the-infinite-035.htm#TopOfText|publisher=New Thought Library|access-date=18 June 2015}}</ref>}}
In her 2006 documentary, ''[[The Secret (2006 film)|The Secret]]'', Rhonda Byrne emphasized thinking about what each person wants to obtain, but also to infuse the thought with the maximum possible amount of emotion. She claims the combination of thought and feeling is what attracts the desire.<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Ressner | first=Jeffrey | title=The Secret of Success| magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date=2006-12-28 | url=https://content.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1573136,00.html | access-date=2023-07-13}}</ref> Another similar book is [[James Redfield]]'s ''[[The Celestine Prophecy]]'', which says reality can be manifested by man.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Redfield|first1=James|title=The Celestine Prophecy: An Adventure|url=https://archive.org/details/celestineprophecredfi00redf|url-access=registration|date=1993|publisher=Warner Books|location=New York|isbn=9780446518628}}</ref> ''The Power of Your Subconscious Mind'' by Joseph Murphy, says readers can achieve seemingly impossible goals by learning how to bring the mind itself under control. ''The Power'' by Rhonda Byrne and ''The Alchemist'' by [[Paulo Coelho]] are similar. While there are personal testimonies that claim that methods based on ''The Secret'' and the law of attraction have worked for them, a number of skeptics have criticized Byrne's film and book. ''[[The New York Times Book Review]]'' called The Secret pseudoscience and an "illusion of knowledge".<ref>{{cite news|last1=Chabris|first1=Christopher F.|last2=Simons|first2=Daniel J.|title=The Pseudoscience of 'The Secret' and 'The Power'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/26/books/review/Chabris-t.html|access-date=13 August 2017|work=The New York Times|date=24 September 2010}}</ref>
==Philosophical and religious basis==
The New Thought concept of the law of attraction is rooted in ideas that come from various philosophical and religious traditions.  In particular, it has been inspired by [[Hermeticism]], [[New England transcendentalism]], specific verses from the [[Bible]], and [[Hinduism]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Melanson|first1=Terry|title=Oprah Winfrey, New Thought, "The Secret" and the "New Alchemy" |url=http://www.conspiracyarchive.com/2014/07/20/oprah-winfrey-new-thought-the-secret-and-the-new-alchemy/|publisher=Conspiracy Archive|access-date=27 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=D'Aoust|first1=Maja|title=The Secret Source|date=2012|publisher=Process|isbn=978-1-934170-32-8|page=19}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Zink|first1=Robert|title=Magical Energy Healing: The Ruach Healing Method|date=2014|publisher=Law of Attraction Solutions, Llc|isbn=978-0990825036|page=299|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6kJ8BwAAQBAJ&q=%22law+of+attraction%22+%22emerald+tablet%22&pg=PA299|access-date=20 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Donker|first1=Gerald|title=Exposing the Secret Law of Attraction|date=2008|publisher=Lulu.com|isbn=978-1409236146|page=27|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sCsqAgAAQBAJ&q=%22the+new+thought%22+%22law+of+attraction%22+bible&pg=PA27|access-date=6 November 2015}}{{self-published source|date=August 2021}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=February 2020}}<ref>{{cite book|last1=Harrold|first1=Glenn|title=The Answer: Supercharge the Law of Attraction and Find the Secret of True Happiness|date=2011|publisher=Orion|isbn=978-1409112716|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N917eoI9LzcC&q=%22law+of+attraction%22+hinduism+%22new+thought%22&pg=PT50|access-date=27 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=James|first1=William|title=The Varieties of Religious Experience|date=1902|publisher=Longmans Green & Co|isbn=978-1439297278|page=94|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UPLBAgAAQBAJ&q=william+James+%22mind-cure+is+the%22&pg=PA94|access-date=12 November 2015}}</ref>
Hermeticism influenced the development of European thought in the [[Renaissance]]. Its ideas were transmitted partly through [[alchemy]]. In the 18th century, [[Franz Mesmer]] studied the works of alchemists such as [[Paracelsus]]<ref>{{cite book|last1=D'Aoust|first1=Maja|title=The Secret Source |date=2012 |publisher=Process|isbn=978-1-934170-32-8|page=16}}</ref> and [[Jan Baptist van Helmont|van Helmont]].<ref name=Hist/> Van Helmont was a 17th-century [[Flemish people|Flemish]] physician who proclaimed the curative powers of the imagination.<ref name=Hist/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Hedesan |first1=Georgiana D.|title=Paracelsian Medicine and Theory of Generation in 'Exterior homo', a Manuscript Probably Authored by Jan Baptist Van Helmont (1579–1644), ref 52|journal=Medical History|date=July 2014 |volume=58|issue=3|pmc=4103403|pmid=25045180|doi=10.1017/mdh.2014.29|pages=375–96}}</ref><ref>{{cite thesis|last1=Hedesan|first1=Delia Georgiana |title='Christian Philosophy': Medical Alchemy and Christian Thought in the Work of Jan Baptista Van Helmont (1579-1644)|degree=PhD in History |publisher=University of Exeter |date=2012|page=31|url=https://ore.exeter.ac.uk/repository/bitstream/handle/10036/4083/HedesanD.pdf?sequence=4 |format=pdf |access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref> This led Mesmer to develop his ideas about [[Animal magnetism]] which [[Phineas Quimby]], the founder of New Thought, studied.<ref name=Hist>{{cite web|last1=Braden|first1=Charles S.|title=A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NEW THOUGHT MOVEMENT.(1963)|url=http://www.surrenderworks.com/library/downloads/braden.pdf|publisher=surrenderworks.com|access-date=13 November 2015}}</ref>
The Transcendentalist movement developed in the United States immediately before the emergence of New Thought and is thought to have had a great influence on it. [[George Ripley (transcendentalist)|George Ripley]], an important figure in that movement, stated that its leading idea was "the supremacy of mind over matter".<ref name=Hist/><ref>{{cite book|last1=Mikics|first1=David|title=The Annotated Emerson|date=2012|publisher=Belknap Press|isbn=978-0674049239|page=6|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nI3uBQAAQBAJ&q=%22george+ripley%22+%22the+supremacy+of+mind+over+matter%22&pg=PA6|access-date=19 November 2015}}</ref>
New Thought authors often quote certain verses from the Bible in the context of the law of attraction. An example is [[Mark 11]]:24: "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."<ref>{{cite web|title=Mark 11:24|url=https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=mark+11%3A24&version=RSV|publisher=Bible Gateway|access-date=5 November 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Master Key System, by Charles Haanel (1912). Chapter 11, section 17|url=http://newthoughtlibrary.com/haanel-charles/Master-Key-System/audioEbook/master-key-systemRAW.pdf|publisher=The New Thought Library|access-date=5 November 2015|archive-date=27 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327175401/http://newthoughtlibrary.com/haanel-charles/Master-Key-System/audioEbook/master-key-systemRAW.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=secr>{{cite book|last1=Byrne|first1=Rhonda|title=The Secret|date=2006|publisher=Beyond Words|isbn=978-1-58270-170-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/secretbyrn00byrn/page/54 54]|url=https://archive.org/details/secretbyrn00byrn/page/54}}</ref>
In the late 19th century [[Swami Vivekananda]] traveled to the United States and gave lectures on [[Hinduism]]. These talks greatly influenced the New Thought movement and in particular, [[William Walker Atkinson]] who was one of New Thought's pioneers.<ref>{{cite book|last1=D'Aoust|first1=Maja|title=The Secret Source|date=2012|publisher=Process|isbn=978-1-934170-32-8|page=61}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Woodroffe|first1=John|title=Shakti and Shâkta, Chapter 24, 12th paragraph|date=1918|publisher=Luzac & Co|isbn=978-1595479204|url=http://www.sacred-texts.com/tantra/sas/sas24.htm |access-date=13 February 2016}}</ref>
==Criticism==
The law of attraction has been popularized in the early 21st century by books and films such as ''[[The Secret (Byrne book)|The Secret]]''. The 2006 film and the subsequent book<ref>{{cite book |title=The Secret |year=2006 |first=Rhonda |last=Byrne |publisher=Beyond Words Publishing |isbn=978-1-58270-170-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/secretbyrn00byrn }}</ref> use interviews with New Thought authors and speakers to explain the principles of the proposed metaphysical law that one can attract anything that one thinks about consistently. Writing for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, [[Mary Carmichael]] and [[Ben Radford]] wrote that "neither the film nor the book has any basis in scientific reality", and that its premise contains "an ugly flipside: if you have an accident or disease, it's your fault".<ref name="csicop.org"/>
Others have questioned the references to modern scientific theory, and have maintained, for example, that the law of attraction misrepresents the electrical activity of [[Neural oscillation|brainwaves]].<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Scientific American |date=June 2007 |volume=296 |issue=6 |pages=39 |title=The (Other) Secret |doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0607-39|pmid=17663221 |last1=Shermer |first1=Michael |bibcode=2007SciAm.296f..39S }}</ref> [[Victor Stenger]] and [[Leon Lederman]] were critical of attempts to use [[quantum mysticism]] to bridge any unexplained or seemingly implausible effects, believing these to be traits of modern [[pseudoscience]].<ref name="auto"/><ref name="Leon Lederman 1993 189–198"/><ref name="plato.stanford.edu"/>
''[[Skeptical Inquirer]]'' magazine criticized the lack of [[falsifiability]] and [[testability]] of these claims.<ref name="csicop.org">{{cite web|author1=Mary Carmichael |author2=Ben Radford |url=http://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/secrets_and_lies/ |title=CSI &#124; Secrets and Lies |date=29 March 2007 |publisher=Csicop.org |access-date=16 May 2012}}</ref> Critics have asserted that the evidence provided is usually [[anecdotal]] and that, because of the [[publication bias|self-selecting nature of the positive reports]], as well as the [[Subjectivity|subjective]] nature of any results, these reports are susceptible to [[confirmation bias]] and [[selection bias]].<ref name="Kaptchuck">{{cite journal |last1=Kaptchuk |first1=T. |last2=Eisenberg |first2=D. |year=1998 |title=The Persuasive Appeal of Alternative Medicine |journal=Annals of Internal Medicine |volume=129 |issue=12 |pmid=9867762 |pages=1061–5 |doi=10.7326/0003-4819-129-12-199812150-00011 |citeseerx=10.1.1.694.4798 |s2cid=24942410 }}</ref> Physicist [[Ali Alousi]], for instance, criticized it as unmeasurable and questioned the likelihood that thoughts can affect anything outside the head.<ref name=gazette/>
The mantra of ''The Secret'', and by extension, the law of attraction, is as follows: positive thoughts and positive visualization will have a direct impact on the self. While positivity can improve one's quality of life and resilience through hardship,<ref>{{cite journal |journal=International Journal of Medicine |date=2015|volume=3 |issue=3 |pages=24–28 |title=The effect of positive thinking on quality of life and resiliency of cancer patients |doi=10.17795/rijm27122|last1=Mousavi |first1=E|last2=Esmaeili|first2=A|last3=Saless |first3=S |doi-broken-date=2 November 2024 |doi-access=free }}</ref> it can also be misguiding. Holding the belief that positive thinking will manifest positivity in one's life diminishes the value of hard work and perseverance, such as in the 1970s pursual of "self-esteem-based education".<ref name="Positively misguided: The myths and">{{cite journal |journal=Skeptic |date=2009|volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=30–38 |title=Positively misguided: The myths and mistakes of the positive thinking movement|last1=Salerno |first1=S }}</ref><!-- The belief was that for students to succeed academically (and largely, in life), they must develop a positive sense of their own self-worth. The rationale behind this theory comes from the perspective that people who are successful are also generally positive when discussing their success (e.g., motivational speakers), therefore one's success must be related to how they view themselves. Thus, the American education system received a complete reconstruction to ensure students felt valued in their academic efforts. Grading curves were implemented so that fewer students were held back, honour rolls were removed to prevent lower-achieving individuals from feeling disappointed in themselves, and teachers could no longer grade assignments using red ink as this was viewed as "stigmatizing".<ref name="Positively misguided: The myths and"/> Students were no longer held to the same standard of achievement. It was later realized that this system was ultimately unsuccessful in promoting success; lower-achieving students who were advanced further into higher-level grades were unable, or unwilling to, garner an understanding of the curriculum. Thus, in spite of having grandiose self-value, student academic achievement was unable to match it. While empirical research has shown that there is an existing relationship between student self-worth and school achievement,<ref>{{cite journal |journal=Personality and Individual Differences |date=2008|volume=45|pages=559–564 |title=Relations of academic and general self-esteem to school achievement|last1=Pullmann |first1=H |last2=Allik|first2=J |issue=6|doi=10.1016/j.paid.2008.06.017}}</ref> the motivation of students to work hard and achieve based on their own academic merit cannot be discounted.-->
==Notable supporters==
* In 1897, [[Ralph Waldo Trine]] wrote ''In Tune with the Infinite''. In the second paragraph of chapter 9 he writes, "The Law of Attraction works unceasingly throughout the universe, and the one great and never changing fact in connection with it is, as we have found, that like attracts like."<ref>{{cite book|last1=Trine|first1=Ralph|title=In Tune With The Infinite|year=1949|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.176007|publisher=G Bell and Sons, LTD. Published 1911|location=London|page=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.176007/page/n178 174]}}</ref>
* In 1904, [[Thomas Troward]], a strong influence in the New Thought Movement, gave a  lecture in which he claimed that thought precedes physical form and "the action of Mind plants that nucleus which, if allowed to grow undisturbed, will eventually attract to itself all the conditions necessary for its manifestation in outward visible form."<ref>Judge Thomas Troward, ''The Edinburgh Lectures on Mental Science'', 1904.</ref>
*In 1906, in his New Thought Movement book [[William Walker Atkinson]] used the phrase ''Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction in the Thought World'', stating that "like attracts like".<ref>[http://gitacademy.tripod.com/GodsInTraining/ThoughtVibration.htm William Walker Atkinson. ''Thought Vibration or the Law of Attraction''. Advanced Thought Publishing. 1906.] Out of Copyright version</ref>
* In his 1910 ''The Science of Getting Rich''. [[Wallace D. Wattles]] espoused similar principles{{snd}}that simply believing in the object of one's desire and focusing on it will lead to that object or goal being realized on the material plane (Wattles claims in the Preface and later chapters of this book that his premise stems from the [[monistic]] [[Hindu]] view that God provides everything and can deliver what is focused on). The book also claims negative thinking will manifest negative results.<ref>{{cite book|url=http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Science_of_Getting_Rich |title=The Science of Getting Rich |via= Wikisource |publisher=En.wikisource.org |access-date=18 December 2011}}</ref>
* In 1915, [[Theosophy (Blavatskian)|Theosophical]] author [[William Quan Judge]] used the phrase in ''The Ocean of Theosophy''.<ref>{{cite book|last= Judge | first = William Quan |title = The Ocean of Theosophy |url= https://archive.org/details/oceantheosophy05judggoog |publisher =United Lodge of Theosophists |year= 1915 | page = [https://archive.org/details/oceantheosophy05judggoog/page/n119 103]|isbn= 978-0-7661-0544-7 }}</ref>
* In 1919, Another theosophical author [[Annie Besant]] discussed the 'Law of Attraction'.<ref>{{cite web|title=Popular Lectures on Theosophy |url=http://www.anandgholap.net/Popular_Lectures_On_Theosophy-AB.htm|publisher=anandgholap|access-date=2 July 2015}}</ref> Besant compared her version of it to [[gravitation]], and said that the law represented a form of [[karma]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Karma|url=http://www.anandgholap.net/Karma-AB.htm|publisher= Theosophical Publishing House|access-date=16 May 2012|author=Annie Besant|year=1895|edition= First}}</ref>
* [[Napoleon Hill]] published two books on the theme. The first, ''[[The Law of Success|The Law of Success in 16 Lessons]]'' (1928), directly and repeatedly references the Law of Attraction and proposes that it operates by use of radio waves transmitted by the brain. The second, ''[[Think and Grow Rich]]'' (1937), went on to sell 100 million copies by 2015.<ref>{{cite web |title=Think and Grow Rich |url=http://www.naphill.org/shop/books/think-and-grow-rich/ |date=2015 |publisher=Napoleon Hill Foundation |access-date=3 August 2018}}</ref> Hill insisted on the importance of controlling one's own thoughts in order to achieve success, as well as the energy that thoughts have and their ability to attract other thoughts. He mentions a "secret" to success and promises to indirectly describe it at least once in every chapter. It is never named and he says that discovering it on one's own is far more beneficial. Many people have argued over what it<ref>{{cite web|title=Why The Law of Attraction has been a Secret|url=http://www.law-of-attraction.com/131/law-of-attraction-has-been-a-secret/|publisher=Positive Inspiration|access-date=15 May 2016|date=6 April 2016}}</ref> actually is; some claim it is the law of Attraction. Hill states the "secret" is mentioned no fewer than a hundred times, yet reference to "attract" is used less than 30 times in the text.
* In 1944, [[Neville Goddard]] published ''Feeling Is the Secret'', which promoted creative visualization and emotional feeling as a form of meditation to receive desires from the universe. His second book on the topic, ''Out of This World'' (1949)'','' explored the reasoning behind the so-called "feeling" and how assumptions if repeated enough can "harden into fact". His third book, ''The Power of Awareness (1952),'' Goddard explains of the concept of "I am" to reason that the human subconscious mind has a "god-given" ability to manifest and create reality if it is impressed by the feeling.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Goddard |first=Neville |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=d2HrDwAAQBAJ |title=The Power of Awareness: The Power of Awareness: Neville Goddard's Popular Self-help book - Unlocking Inner Potential: Neville Goddard's Guide to Harnessing the Power of Awareness |date=2021-01-01 |publisher=Prabhat Prakashan |language=en}}</ref>
* In 1960, [[W. Clement Stone]] and Napoleon Hill co-wrote ''Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude''.<ref name="Hill Stone 1991 p. ">{{cite book | last1=Hill | first1=N. | last2=Stone | first2=W.C. | title=Success Through a Positive Mental Attitude | publisher=Pocket Books | year=1991 | isbn=978-0-671-74322-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DLzx4dWIO9EC | access-date=3 August 2018 }}</ref>
* In his 1988 ''The American Myth of Success'', Richard Weiss states that the principle of "non-resistance" is a popular concept of the New Thought movement and is taught in conjunction with the law of attraction.<ref>{{cite book|title=The American Myth of Success|publisher=Illini Books|pages=169}}</ref>
* The 2008, [[Esther Hicks|Esther and Jerry Hicks']] book ''Money and the Law of Attraction: Learning to Attract Health, Wealth & Happiness'' appeared on the [[New York Times Best Seller list|''New York Times'' Best Seller list]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/31/books/bestseller/bestpaperadvice.html?_r=1&8bu&emc=bu&oref=slogin |title=New York Times Bestseller information August 31, 2008 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=31 August 2008 |access-date=18 December 2011}}</ref>
==See also==
{{Portal|Psychology}}
{{div col|colwidth=25em}}
* [[List of New Thought writers]]
* [[Cosmic ordering]]
* [[Hermeticism]]
* [[Efficacy of prayer]]
* [[Internal locus of control]]
* [[Law of contagion]]
* [[Magical thinking]]
* [[Medical students' disease]]
* [[Mind over matter]]
* [[Positive mental attitude]]
* [[Priming (psychology)]]
* [[Prosperity theology]]
* [[Pygmalion effect]]
* [[Self-fulfilling prophecy]]
* [[Sympathetic magic]]
{{div col end}}
==References==
{{Reflist}}
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