The Secret of the Secret

 

I read one article in www.psychologytoday.com that talked about what made it possible that the Law of Attraction can work to some people. Lyubomirsky (2008) stated that the law itself might be a huge example of placebo effect - the condition in which fake or sham treatment can actually work on people (just like when "sugar pill" can cure headache).

Basically, the Law of Attraction asserts that we should focus on the good things that we want to achieve, be emotionally parallel with our own desires, be grateful, and list down all the good things that we already have. Then, the universe responds by making us closer to what we desire.

Since watching the documentary explaining what the so-called "secret" is, I have been wondering, is it that easy to get what we want? Is it true that the successful people actually do this technique? I always want to see the mechanics, the real one, behind the Law of Attraction, especially when one of the speakers inside the documentary said that there was one instance that a painter got double date and a marriage after he painted such desire in his house. The reason being is that when he painted his desires, he'd "announce" what he wanted to the universe, thus making the latter to respond by getting him closer to his desires.

What I was thinking is that, perhaps it works because as I stated in my previous entry, "Redha" that when we feel content about something, we're more likely to put efforts that can increase chances to actually get what we want. One of the substance of the Law of Attraction is that we feel good about us, the life, people around us, about everything. When we do, it's easier for us to put our efforts and it's clearer for us to see what path to take just simply because we feel content and grateful.

One commenter of the article also stated something about "Self-Fulfilling Prophecy," the instance when our expectation can be sufficient to produce changes in people's attitude and behaviors. It's like, A thinks B is nice while the latter is actually not so nice, but A keeps treating B like he's a nice person, so time after time, B becomes nice. Of course I have understated what Self-Fulfilling Prophecy is in my description just now, but basically mere expectations (or attitude) can be as powerful to produce changes in people and outcomes in the future.

So guys, what do you think?

Reference:

Lyubomirsky, S. (2008). Is "The Secret" just a giant placebo effect? Psychology Today. Retrieved on February, 2, 2010, from http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/how-happiness/200805/is-the-secret-just-giant-placebo-effect