Am I a god?! Why "manifesting" your reality is easier than ever

America is a deeply spiritual nation. Over 70% of us say that we feel spiritual in some way.

But – at the same time – we're getting less religious. So for people who are spiritual-but-not-religious – what's replacing organized religion?

What do they believe – and where does that show up in their day-to-day lives? In Brittany's series called Losing My Religion, It's Been a Minute is going to find out.

In her final episode of the series, Brittany is investigating so-called manifestation. It's this popular belief that if you want something badly enough, it'll come to you.

You might know this idea by other names, like The Law of Attraction, or The Secret. Manifestation spiked in 2020, according to Google Trends, and it's still riding that wave online.

Brittany calls on Tara Isabella Burton , an author and journalist, and New York Magazine's Rebecca Jennings to get to the bottom of this trend: the appeal of manifestation, its symbiotic relationship with the internet, and why it might make us less aware of our humanity. Want to get to know Brittany ?

Follow her at @bmluse on socials. Support public media and receive ad-free listening & bonus content.

Join NPR+ today . See pcm. for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

NPR Privacy Policy