Delulu Is the Solulu? Why Dreaming Isn't Enough

Delulu is the solulu, or so TikTok says. I love a little delulu, but research shows that picturing your dream without a plan can make you less likely to get there.

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In this episode, my daughter Dominique and I talk about where delulu came from and how it connects to manifesting and the law of attraction. We also get into why a fantasy can feel like progress when nothing has actually happened yet. I walk you through what NYU psychologist Gabriele Oettingen found about positive fantasies, how her WOOP method fits with the Neurocycle, and how to give your delulu a plan-a-lulu.

What you’ll learn:

• Why a little delulu can push you to try something you’d otherwise talk yourself out of
• What the research says about positive fantasies, energy and effort
• Manifesting vs. delusion: where wishful thinking ends and directed dreaming begins
• How to use WOOP (Wish, Outcome, Obstacle, Plan) to turn a dream into action
• Signs you’re a little too delulu, from all talk and no action to shame and self-blame
• My Neurocycle prescription for directed dreaming vs. wishful believing

Resources mentioned:

• This week’s Neurocycle Prescription in the Neurocycle app: https://drleaf.com/neurocycle-app
• Rethinking Positive Thinking by Gabriele Oettingen + the WOOP method: https://woopmylife.org
• Dominique on Substack: https://dominiqueleaf.substack.com/

Research cited:

• Positive fantasies sap energy (Kappes & Oettingen, 2011): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2011.02.003
• Delulu enters the Cambridge Dictionary (ABC News, 2025): https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-08-18/delulu-tradwife-skibidi-enter-the-cambridge-dictionary/105668182

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