For some reason, YouTube keeps suggesting me videos on law of attraction. I decided to watch some of the videos, being somewhat aware of the concepts and the methods. When I Google the law of attraction I got 410 million results and apparently, they even have a Netflix Documentary about it, The Secret. After educating myself on the law of attraction, I developed some very strong feelings for this belief and decided to share them. Today I am sharing the problematic parts of the Law of Attraction.
When you type in the law of attraction, you get claims of people curing mental illnesses and chronic illnesses with the law of attraction. You have people claiming that they attracted thousands of dollars and a soul mate. but what is the law of attraction?
The law of attraction is a complex belief. It states that everything has a vibration, so you need to raise your vibrations to get what you want. When you want to attract something, you raise your vibration with “good thoughts” because like attracts like. Even thoughts are vibrations and if you want that million dollar car then just think about it and act like you already have it. Sounds crazy right? Now I may be into spiritual stuff, but something doesn’t sound right with this “theory”. It goes against everything we know about metaphysics.
Many people believe this theory and base their lives around it. But, there is no substantial evidence that this theory actually works. According to Psychology Today, it’s just a metaphysical pseudoscience and much of the science it is based on is incorrect. The law of attraction assumes we live in a perfect universe, but we don’t. We can’t always get what we want. Some of the websites and organizations seem almost cult-like.
The law of attraction is a toxic mindset.
It shuns people who may have mental illnesses and may have “negative thoughts”. It puts the blame on the person for not being good enough and puts the pressure on always being happy and avoiding negative thoughts (negative thoughts every once and awhile are healthy). It can cause people to live in a “fantasy” dreaming of their dream job and take no action or acting like they’re a millionaire so you enter into large amounts of credit card debt. It allows you to blame the victim in the situation and say it’s their fault. Don’t waste your money on the law of attraction workshops and don’t waste your time on free resources. It appears the law of attraction aims to prey on the vulnerable.
Yet, people are still claiming that it’s working and that they are seeing results. When in reality, the success rate is only 0.1%.
I will be the first to say that I do not approve of this theory, but I think it’s important to see both sides. I wanted to end this article off on a positive note. There is one thing we can learn from those who practice the law of attraction:
Be aware of your thoughts: When you believe you are going to fail, you’re already setting yourself for failure. When people are positive, they are more likely to achieve their goals. They are more likely to take more actionable steps to reach their goals and are more unlikely to give up. Your attitude and mindset do affect how you live your life.