For decades, researchers have recognized the power of positive affirmations for behavior modification, attitude adjustment, improvements in health, and attainment of goals. Wealth affirmations are positive autosuggestions that an individual visualizes, repeats out loud, and meditates upon in order to embed the expressed idea into the mind. Scientists believe that regular affirmations of all kinds, including wealth affirmations, reinforce the chemical pathways in the brain that mediate the train of thought induced by the affirmations. This malleability of brain processing in response to a person’s environment and experiences is called neuroplasticity. According to some practitioners of wealth affirmations, their success stems from the law of attraction, which states that whatever a person thinks about will become his reality.
When a person repeats wealth affirmations, the brain responds by altering the strength of some connections, removing other connections, and forming some new cells. This cortical remapping produces changes in the brain both anatomically and functionally. Studies by neuroscientist Richard Davidson have indicated that meditation produces changes in the brain activity and cellular makeup in specific regions linked to anger, fear, depression, attention span, and healing responses. Other studies reveal brain changes in response to exercise, studying, and learning a new language. In contrast to what scientists have traditionally believed about the brain, this cumulative body of evidence shows that the brain is not fixed and hard-wired, but rather it constantly changes in response to training.
In accordance with the neuroplasticity principle, wealth affirmations work best when they are practiced regularly. Additionally, the affirmation that the practitioner repeats must be something that he can believe. For example, although he may say out loud, “I am as rich as Bill Gates,” if he believes the opposite, the negative belief will be the one programmed into his brain. Furthermore, wealth affirmations must be declared in positive terms. In other words, the practitioner should reinforce what he wants rather than state what he does not want.
The most effective wealth affirmations are brief and specific. Short phrases penetrate into the subconscious mind easier and produce more brain remapping than longer phrases. Specificity adds depth and credibility to an affirmation. The affirmation, “I am saving $10,000 U.S. Dollars (USD) over the next 12 months,” potentially has more impact than the nonspecific phrase, “I am saving money.” By adding a specified dollar amount and deadline, the first statement issues a call to action, with definitive measures of success.