Imagine directing all of your energy on a specific intent and bringing out your very own desired outcome. Whether it is a job, goal or person, engaging in simple activities for a few minutes a day can attract anything you wish. The act of manifestation redefines the phrase “wishing things into existence.”

Manifestation has recently become a popular trend used to claim a future reality, whether it is love, fortune, good grades or anything one desires. It is considered a spiritual practice and connected to the law of attraction, which is the belief that thoughts and energy have the power to shape reality. 

Manifestation has risen in popularity, often trending on social media platforms.

“I see manifestation videos almost every day on TikTok,” freshman Katelyn Campanella said. “I see many manifestation videos of people wanting One Direction to get back together.”

These trends have been swarming the TikTok platform under several hashtags, including #manifestation, #lawofattraction and #spiritually. These videos include tips and tricks for users to follow in an attempt to manifest their reality, along with hints to whether or not their desires are becoming a reality. 

“Usually the videos consist of people doing tutorials on how they manifest or videos of them doing something like studying [with] the caption ‘manifesting an A,’” senior Natanya Resnikoff said.

There are several manifestation techniques used throughout TikTok, many of which include affirmations, which are written or spoken statements that put desires into the universe. Creating these affirmations is typically just the beginning of the process. 

“I think when you are putting positive affirmations out you’re only gonna get positive affirmations back,” senior Hailey Jacobsen said. “I kind of believe in the rule of threes, which is whatever you put out into the universe will come back to you three-fold. So you think I am going to do this or I already have done this. I think this is a really good thing because it usually ends up happening; it’s great motivation and has pretty great effects.”

Manifestation is all about the energy that is coming from the source; positive vibes and the belief that one deserves great things, as well as keeping up with the process through activities like yoga, podcasting, meditation or anything that creates a sense of happiness and relaxation.

“I have tried manifesting before, sometimes I try manifesting getting a good grade on a test,” freshman Samantha Citron said. “It has worked before, but I think it’s because of hard work.”

People sometimes think that manifestation is a way of getting what they desire to easily appear “in front” of them, but science says otherwise. Some would classify the use of manifestation as pseudoscience. 

“It doesn’t make sense that just thinking something will happen, will just instantly occur,” junior Hayli Siegel said.

However, there is some research about the way that one’s mindset can affect their ability to achieve their goals. 

According to a Dec. 27, 2018 article published by Psychology Today, “Believing you can do something makes it more likely that you’ll successfully do it. That means that our beliefs about our ability to learn, grow, and succeed—our growth mindset—can indeed affect whether we effectively manifest what we desire.” 

This research suggests that thinking about one’s goal can both consciously and unconsciously influence an individual’s actions. It’s the action part that psychologists would say ultimately determines whether or not a person’s desires are manifested.  

The research also shows that there is bias involved in manifestation. If someone is already feeling bad, they tend to interpret situations negatively; however, if someone has a positive outlook they will pay more attention to the steps in which they have succeeded.

This story was originally published in the October 2020 Eagle Eye print edition.