When you watch an old movie and a baby is being born. The midwife/doctor will ask the dad to boil water. This is not because there is any need for boiling water, it is to give him something to do and get him out from underfoot. If a prayer can give someone the illusion that they are doing something to help, so be it. But only if there is nothing else to be done. Perhaps donating blood could help someone else if not their loved one. Maybe looking after their kids/pets/home whilst they are in hospital would offer more practical help? At worst is the dangerous idea that prayers can substitute for real medical care and that is an all too prevalent situation.

I'm not a fan of praying to a supernatural entity to change reality, but I do think that knowing people I care about generally hope I will recover from an ailment quickly doesn't change the length of the illness but makes me feel better during the suffering knowing people care about me and do wish for me to survive it so they can spend time with me again.

People who believe in the power of prayer might also think that time heals all wounds, but they just enjoy thinking they are doing something to speed it along. Yes, when people pray, the illness or terror does end at some point, whether in recovery or death. What will be will be.

Time spent in prayer could also be spent by researching for cures, remedies, solutions. In government conflict a letter to a politician, or a vote can be an act toward righting the wrongs.

For personal conflict, a "to do" list or "letter to self" might help organize feelings and sometimes just saying them out loud to others can help alleviate the stress and equalize feelings again.

On social media "liking" a post can give the poster the feeling that what they had to say was important and creates a tiny bit of connection between people who are otherwise alone.

For people who don't have many meaningful connections, I suppose talking to an unknown higher power might give comfort. To each their own. Just don't ask me to participate in the prayer.

My feeling is that if we don't like a particular circumstance, we should do what we can to change the circumstance. Praying isn't really going to tangibly help, but being in a good head space might help and if saying a prayer or a mantra helps one to get in that good head space, then fine. I admit to having some short mantras I say to myself to keep me in a good emotional place.

It is often said that prayer is an act of faith whilst the opposite is actually true.
Let me explain: God is hypothetically omnipotent and omniscient, yeah? So why ask?
If you are sitting with an old friend on the porch and drinking a beverage or two, do you need to ask them to refill your glass? No, if they are good/old friends, they just do it. Similarly, an all-knowing, all-seeing god would not require anyone's supplication to intervene. They would be the great god Nike and just do it.
Prayer is not an act of faith, it is an act of doubt.

My opinion~
I think prayer is a form of meditation. When fear and anxiety are overwhelming then a prayer can help focus that energy and maintain some control over emotions. It doesn't effect the outcome but it can help a person get through a stressful event.

My opinion--positive thinking can help oneself....not the neighbor's problems...not the climate change...Aunt Polly's psoriasis, etc.

Praying means buying into self-delusion, which is hugely seductive and very hard to escape. If you can't stop praying, at least try to hold onto some shred of reality by acknowledging it is BS.

Prayer is an insidious indoctrination tool. To say it is harmless is wrong.
Indoctrination is the formal instruction into a doctrine so you may be a member of a group. The favoured tool for learning is repetition in message and ritual.
Prayer is a ritual that reinforces the doctrines message. Young minds are pliable so teach them to pray. Prayer is a repetitive ritual that;

1. Reinforce the #1 important part of the doctrine................there is a "God"
2. Confirm you are submissive to this "God"
3. Confirms the "God" demands worship.

Looking at other comments here, I am unsure if prayer should be classed as "positive thinking". More a sign of helpless desperation eg willing to try anything.
The thing with indoctrination is it affects individuals in different ways; some fall for it fully with others less so. Prayer is the first ritual taught to kids to get them with the program aka join the group and learn their rules and laws aka doctrine.
Luckily, most people grow up and drop the daily ritual of prayer they were instructed to do as children. Some never do. The religion of Islam has really used this indoctrination tool to advantage, praying up to 5 times a day, daily rituals, to ensure the doctrine remains foremost in peoples mind.
Prayer is very far from an innocent pastime that doesn't hurt anyone.

I recall a survey carried in a hospital where heart surgery was carried out . All of the patients had prayers said on their behalf but only half of them were told this. It was found that those who were told did slightly less well than those who were not told. Of course this was an unscientific study and it may just have been coincidence but interesting none the less

Hope can help create a positive attitude, which in turn can help make the best of a bad situation. So there's that.

On the other hand, one study I heard about found that people in hospital who knew people were praying for them did worse (failed to improve or got sicker or died) while those who did not know of any prayers for them did better.

All I know is if I were the patient, and I knew people were praying for my recovery, I would take that as a signal that I was really, desperately sick. And I would also have zero faith that the prayers would cause a supernatural intervention on my behalf. So for me, prayer would probably have a net negative impact on my mental state and thus not be helpful to my physical state.

...feel good for doing nothing

... and one more...
[nytimes.com]

Excellent answers by Hemant Mehta:

The term prayer is too associated with a diety. Especially for this audience. If prayer worked, then why do we have hospitals and doctors???

Nothing wrong with a firm determination though.

Beyond the positive thinking vibe, can the metaphysical possibilities be refuted?

We, who don't believe in God, think praying is nonsensical. For those who believe, it's something they feel it helps them. It gives them a little bit of psychological strength to endure the things they are going through. I simply respect and don't judge too much.

By definition, prayer expects that there is someone listening on the other end. You don't pray to the air, you pray to someone.

If you like the idea of introspection, or meditation, or positive thinking, use those words.

Prayer as a ritual for self affirmation or group affirmation is just one of a vast array of rituals people use to get through life. Heck, if a friend or acquaintance asks me to pray for them, sure, why not? Prayer is like most human activities, it can be used for good or evil. Prayer itself is just saying meaningless magic words, so it's context that make it positive or negative.

“Medical research has shown that state of mind plays an important role in the development of disease. For example, stress is known to increase blood pressure, which in turn is a risk factor for heart disease. So, just as the mind can contribute to a physical disorder, it can also contribute to its cure.”

[betterhealth.vic.gov.au]

.

Statistically if you have stage 4 pancreatic cancer, you’re chances of survival are like 3%? How many people do you know that have been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer and prayed it away?!

Prayers is make believe. Even after something suitable happens, it is still make believe.