The Glitter All Over Us: Manifesting!
- Kader Gül Odabaş
- Sep 14
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 21
"Just close your eyes and imagine, and then the universe is going to hand it over to you!”
Is the concept of “manifesting” that has gone around so easy? Thousands of various ways of manifesting come before us nowadays, like consecutive numbers, scented candles, repetitive words… The glamour of possibilities that we can experience dazzles us. Is dreaming a sparkling life a key to living it, or is it just a sweet trick?
Our Brain is an Enormous Puzzle: Neuroplasticity
Our brain is not a pedantic organ that collects data and information; it is a colorful pile of playdough that constantly reorganizes itself. The brain’s ability to blend new information with what it already “knows” is called “neuroplasticity.” Our brain is doing this so visibly that it does not struggle to change its own physical structure, besides its chemical structure. It is such that it has been discovered that the hippocampus area of the brains of London taxi drivers who are obliged to thoroughly memorize the complex roads of the city is much more developed than other people’s. The things we constantly do improve the brain areas that are activated while doing those things, even though we are not consciously aware of them in our daily lives. It is inevitable for your muscles to improve if you decide to go to the gym 3 times a week and you are consistent. In the same way, our brains’ constantly used areas get improved, and our brain re-shapes itself according to what we think and what we do on a regular basis. We create the human that we repeat.
We come across “manifesting” at this point. Imagining a situation over and over again creates connections in our brains as if we already experienced it, just like a rehearsal we do while getting ready for a presentation. Prefrontal Cortex gets involved here; this area, which is responsible for planning and setting an objective, codes the image in the mind as an actual duty. And then the Anterior Singular Cortex takes on attention management, helping us stay focused on our goal by filtering stimuli that would possibly distract us from that goal.
In an experiment executed in 1995, it was observed that the activations in the brains of those who were just imagining playing a piano in their minds are similar to those who really practice playing it. Particularly, SMA plays a critical role in the cognitive planning of movements and consecutive actions. The parietal cortex is also responsible for integrating sensory information necessary for spatial awareness and movement coordination. So, imagining playing the piano isn't just a mental image; it activates areas of your brain that plan and coordinate movement.
Our brain sometimes cannot distinguish fantasy from reality, leading us to experience very similar experiences. Yes, even just imagining things is beautiful because we can experience them as if they were real.
Mirror Neurons: The Simulation of the Brain
In an experiment conducted in Italy, one group of monkeys was given bananas, while another group simply watched another monkey eat a banana. The neurons that became active in the brains of the monkeys eating the bananas also fired in the monkeys who were merely observing. Watching another’s behavior creates a reflection in the brain as if you were performing the action yourself. These special nerve cells are called mirror neurons.
This might remind you of empathy: feeling as if you are experiencing an emotion that someone else is going through. But the story doesn’t end with empathy. The working principle of mirror neurons also provides a neuroscientific explanation for imagination—and even “manifestation.”
It is more than just a nice collage to prepare a “vision board” by getting together the pics of the car you would like to have, the boat vacation that you aspire to go to, or just a simple flower bouquet. Your brain perceives the scene that you see and imagine as reality. Your brain does a mini-rehearsal while you visualize your dream.
Keeping a visual on your desk that evokes graduating from University forces you to imagine yourself doing just that every time you look at it. Your brain is already recording this experience. So, manifesting is essentially like running a mental theater: The more you rehearse, the easier it becomes to take on that role.
Dopamine: I Can Do It!
So, are we just rehearsing? No, there is more than that.
Think about the moments when you feel happy, the moments when you just zone out and dream something joyous when you are bored. Dreaming about something that we do not have or even something that we would not ever have can please us. The reason is that we trigger our dopamine system when we dream.
Dopamine is not only a “happiness hormone” but it is also a sweet source of motivation that encourages and stimulates us. The researches show us that dopamine secretion increases while people dream about the rewards that they can have in the future. In other words, manifesting does not only mean dreaming, but it also means firing the reward system of the brain.
Constant Affirmation
A recent study conducted in 2023 with more than 1,000 participants found that individuals who believe in manifestation tend to have higher motivation and greater expectations of success; however, they are also more prone to taking financial risks and experiencing disappointment.
In other words, our dreams keep us alive, keeping our minds sharp and hopeful. But only as long as we don’t get carried away by their magic and lose touch with reality… Because dreams guide us, while reality is what keeps us standing.
For Whom Are All These Intentions?
Stanford neurosurgeon James Doty (2024) points out that manifesting, when done with the intention of providing compassion and meaning to others, rather than simply going beyond the "I want it" routine, activates the brain's reward and parasympathetic systems more strongly. While selfish goals can cause stress, having a meaningful intention for our environment provides a deeper sense of peace.
Beyond the Sparkle
In conclusion, manifesting is much more than a magical potion or a request letter written to the universe. Understanding how our brain works is to turn this mechanism to our advantage. Our dreams are the repetition that shapes our neuroplasticity, the little rehearsals of our mirror neurons, the sweet motivation of dopamine, and the deep meaning of our intentions - all proof that our brain is a remarkably persuasive machine for making "what you believe, comes true.” In other words, the matter is not closing our eyes and waiting; it is opening them and turning our dreams into conscious steps.
References and Suggested Readings:
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Dixon, L. J., Hornsey, M. J., & Hartley, N. (2025). “The Secret” to Success? The Psychology of Belief in Manifestation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 51(1), 49-65.
Heyes, C. (2010). Where do mirror neurons come from?. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 34(4), 575-583.
Hippocampus, 16(12), 1091–1101. https://doi.org/10.1002/hipo.20233
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R.G. Benoit, K.K. Szpunar, & D.L. Schacter, Ventromedial prefrontal cortex supports affective future simulation by integrating distributed knowledge, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 111 (46) 16550-16555, https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1419274111 (2014).
Schultz W. (2015). Neuronal Reward and Decision Signals: From Theories to Data. Physiological reviews, 95(3), 853–951. https://doi.org/10.1152/physrev.00023.2014
Sharot, T., Riccardi, A. M., Raio, C. M., & Phelps, E. A. (2007). Neural mechanisms mediating optimism bias. Nature, 450(7166), 102-105.
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