Lucky Charms from Around the World: Their True Powers
Have you ever had this kind of day too? You know, the ones where you're so unlucky that you feel like the whole world is conspiring against you.
Have you ever wondered if you could improve your luck? And I'm not talking about voodoo magic or magical lucky crystals here.
It turns out that someone actually did some scientific research on this topic.
This scientist studied more than 1000 people.
Well indeed, with or without lucky charms, some people are much more unlucky than others. Here is his explanation:
“A woman reported being in 8 car accidents over a 150-mile drive. She was also unlucky in love. After joining a dating agency, her first date fell off her motorcycle and broke her leg. The second date walked into a glass door and broke his nose. Eventually, she met her future husband and the church they were going to get married in burned down the day before the wedding. »
Ouch. She probably didn't have her lucky charm with her that day, to say the least.
For our part, can we change our level of luck ? The answer is yes, and here's an idea:
“All of our work shows that people can change their luck and their level of happiness. Luck is not paranormal in nature.
It's something we create through our thoughts and behavior, with this in mind lucky charms can be interesting. »
Richard carried out a series of experiments, he drew from his findings a method which he called the " Luck School ", he also taught unlucky people to behave if they had with them the best possible lucky charm.
In total, 80% of people who attended this school said their level of luck had increased. When asked to estimate this evolution, the average response was 40%.
Not only did they feel more fortunate, but the test results also showed that they felt happier on a daily basis.
Comparable results are visible when we consider lucky charms from around the world.
Here is in a few lines what Richard taught his students.
Contents :
1) Maximize opportunities
It's almost intuitive: if you lock yourself in your house, surrounded by your lucky charms, how many new and exciting things will happen to you? Not a lot.
In his book, Richard wrote: "Lucky people create, move and act on the opportunities that present themselves in their lives."
Is the secret to happiness then to constantly try new things ? Possible.
Personally, I’m a big believer in “starting small.” I would therefore advise you to move out of your comfort zone gradually, without rushing too much.
In this process, the self-confidence that the right lucky charm will give you can prove essential.
After analysis, an observation was also made about unlucky people: they do not (or at least rarely) learn from their mistakes.
Certain types of people may also be luckier because they tend to create scenarios that maximize opportunities.
In conclusion, who is luckier?
Well, they are not necessarily the ones who have the most effective lucky charms.
It is actually:
- Extroverted people: more time spent with others means more interesting opportunities.
- People who are not neurotic: People who are tense and anxious are less likely to notice and take advantage of opportunities.
- People open to new experiences : If you are resistant to new things, you are not likely to experience many interesting things.
Research also shows that the old adage “You'll only regret what you didn't do” is true.
Over time, we tend to rationalize our failures. But we can't rationalize things we've never tried.
So keep trying new things (travel, experiences, lucky charms).
Indeed, if you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten.
2) Listen to your intuition
Lucky people act on their instincts in many areas of their lives.
Nearly 90% of lucky people said they trust their intuition when it comes to personal relationships and almost 80% of them said it plays a vital role in their career choices…
About 20% more lucky people than unlucky people used their intuition to manage important financial decisions.
Unlike lucky charms, intuition is not “magic”. Here's what Richard Wiseman tells us about it:
“Most of the time, what seems to us to be an instinct is really just an expression of buried knowledge that we have previously obtained, which is then expressed unconsciously... What differentiates lucky people from unlucky people, it is listening (or not) to these intuitions. »
Do you want to increase your level of luck without necessarily using a lucky charm?
So listen a little more often to that little voice that we all have deep within us.
3) Expect to be lucky!
There is a key word here: optimism.
On average, happy people think they have an 84% chance of achieving at least one of their ambitions in the near future...
This optimism also gives them more courage. Even in the face of difficulties, because they keep in mind that things will inevitably work out, they persevere.
The most skeptical among you may be shaking your heads at the moment: we all know people who are optimistic, to such an extent that they end up making stupid mistakes, or who blindly believe in whatever good luck charm in the world it may be, even if it means sometimes rushing headlong towards danger.
Either way, it turns out that even though pessimists see the world more accurately, optimists are more likely to be lucky because these illusions push them toward more opportunities.
On this last point, Professor Wiseman's teams tell us:
“Optimistic people tend to believe more in lucky charms. Our studies have shown that our subjects' performance, whether in physical skills, such as playing golf, or in intellectual abilities, such as memory exercises, improved on average when they had with them a lucky charm in which they believed. »
You heard right: In fact, research from around the world shows that lucky charms work.
But how does it work?
Researchers discovered that by awakening everyone's superstitions, lucky charms were able to boost our self-confidence. This improvement would in turn affect a whole range of skills.
Some will argue that although they may work, lucky charms don't really have any magical power, so they are somewhat of a deception!
Well so be it! Others will tell them that it doesn't change anything in the final result.
Indeed, a large number of studies have shown that lucky charms have numerous advantages :
- People considered by these studies to be superstitious have on average better performance almost everywhere.
- By wishing someone “good luck,” their chances of success will increase.
- Trust in a lucky charm increases productivity and improves the ability to work in a team.
“Self-belief in the power of lucky charms has been associated with reduced stress, a generally more positive bias, and increased pain tolerance, all factors likely to improve motivation and performance during competitive tasks.”
The world can be harsh sometimes, and life seems random. Research shows that thinking we're in control, even if we're not, has powerful effects on our minds.
(If you want to discover a selection of lucky charms from around the world, click on the link)
But what happens when things get really bad? What should you do when, despite following all these tips, bad luck strikes you?
4) Transmute bad luck
No one, even with a good lucky charm, can be constantly lucky, but some know how to handle adversity better than others.
The following points can be highlighted about lucky people:
- They see how to see the positive in all situations.
- They see life's challenges as an opportunity to improve.
- They generally focus more on the good sides of life.
- They are proactive in the pursuit of happiness.
And you, how do you react to disappointments?
Giving up, becoming gloomy and locking yourself up at home will clearly not help you resolve the situation. You automatically surround yourself with lucky charms either. Here is what Richard Wiseman says:
“When the going gets tough, you have two choices : you can fold or you can keep moving forward. I remember talking to someone who fell down a flight of stairs and broke their leg. He said the last time he went to a hospital he met a nurse and they fell in love with her. Now they are married and, twenty-five years of happiness later, he considers it the best thing that ever happened to him... So, yes, things may seem negative at the time, but the effect is long term of your current situation could well be very, very positive. »
5) To summarize
Maximize opportunities : Keep trying new things. (As you will have understood, we advise you to try as many lucky charms from around the world as possible!)
Listen to your intuition, especially if it's an area in which you have experience.
Expect to be lucky and live a life full of happiness. Always be optimistic.
Get the best from every moment of your life.
Perhaps you are still skeptical... If luck were not a tangible reality, you probably would not want to give in to the illusion.
However, as we have seen, whether it exists or not, believing in luck (and the power of lucky charms) can have direct effects on your daily life and well-being.
By carrying out countless studies with lucky and unlucky people, scientists realized that they could quickly learn what type of people they were dealing with.
Of course, seeing if a person showed up for testing with a lucky charm (without being asked) already gives a lot of information about them.
Besides that, there are other elements which also allow us to paint a portrait of an individual.
For example, people who considered themselves lucky were more engaging and caring.
Since emotions are contagious, after spending time with such a person, you feel good and start to see the world in a more positive way.
What if after all, the main factor in having a truly happy life isn't how you feel, but more how you can help others feel better ?
So put a lucky charm in your pocket! It seems that believing in luck is not only the best way to help yourself, but also to help others.
You will be able to discover more about lucky charms thanks to the work of our site “La Porte Du Bonheur”.
