Here’s an interesting quote by William Walker Atkinson:

“Even the weaker individuals, or using personal magnetism unconsciously, exert at least some degree of influence upon those around them. It requires but a moment’s thought to recognize that some persons emanate an atmosphere of good-cheer, brightness, and happiness, which affects in a desirable way all persons with whom they come in contact.

Others, in the same way, are surrounded by an atmosphere of gloom, pessimism and discouragement, which adversely affects persons coming near them. These things are too common to even excite interest among the average persons, but in this phenomena may be found the key to the higher forms of personal magnetism.

We are so accustomed to regarding personal magnetism as meaning only the positive,
attractive phase, that it comes as a shock to some of us to be told that the repelling personal atmosphere is equally “magnetic” – that is, magnetic in the wrong direction.

This should cause no wonder, when we remember that even the physical metallic magnet repels, under some circumstances, as strongly as it attracts under others.

There are, it is true, certain individuals who seem neither to attract nor repel, but this does not affect the general rule. These neutral individuals are usually of weak magnetism, and weak character – that is to say they have no strong motives, aims or desires, or strong cast of character or personality.

Each faculty of the mentality is neutralized by some other faculty of equal strength, and the result is a neutral condition akin to lukewarm water- neither hot nor cold.

It follows, naturally, that such persons exert but a neutral influence, and have but a weak neutral personal atmosphere. They neither attract nor repel – they simply “bore” persons with whom they come in contact.”