You've probably seen the promise on social media: Just "manifest" your way to a better life.

• Now, more doctors and educators agree that there may be tangible benefits to training your brain to focus on a meaningful intention, Axios' Ashley May writes.

💡 The intrigue: The late James Doty, a neurosurgeon and professor at Stanford University, wrote in his 2024 book "Mind Magic" that meditation paired with repetition of messages can change a person's subconscious.

• Manifesting could look like this: Close your eyes to relax and visualize earning a new job title or mastering the piano.
• Afterward, write the intention on a piece of paper and read it often.

🧘‍♀️ What they're saying: Manifesting can't fix all suffering, Doty wrote, but "if there is a possibility of change, using the techniques of manifesting will more likely than not help bring it about."

• Positive thinking alone doesn't work, NYU psychology professor Gabriele Oettingen's research has revealed — but believing you will succeed based on reason can.
• Framing is also important, some argue: Trying to manifest wealth isn't as helpful as pursuing a life full of meaning.

🧠 How it works: Neuroplasticity — the brain's lifelong ability to change — is one reason manifesting may work scientifically.

• Through value tagging — how brains prioritize information — goals can become embedded into the deepest levels of the subconscious.
• Visualization is also part of the process.
• Mental imagery triggers the selective attention system, "essentially hypnotizing our minds into recognizing that our intention is important," Doty wrote. Some athletes use this technique to improve performance.

🪄 Reality check: However you slice it, manifesting reinforces constant, disciplined practice, reminding the brain of an intention over and over and over again.

• Think of manifesting less like magic and more like mental training.

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