What separates the lucky from the unlucky
Richard Wiseman, professor of psychology at the University of Hertfordshire, decided to find the luck factor. What is the difference between self-proclaimed luck and losers?
Through research, Wiseman found that successful people are highly extroverted. They smile twice as often and try to maintain eye contact with others. The scientist believes that it is communication skills and openness that help attract happy opportunities.
Unlucky people, on the other hand, are prone to emotional instability, anxiety, and negative emotions.
Wiseman did some interesting experiments. To find out the effect of anxiety on a person, he asked members of the first group to look at a moving dot in the center of a computer screen. After a while, large dots appeared in the corners of the screen, and almost all subjects noticed them.
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And the scientist offered people from the second group a monetary reward for focusing on the central point. More than a third of the experiment participants did not pay attention to other points, being under stress due to the desire to receive money.
The experiment showed that although anxiety helps us concentrate on one task, it does not allow us to notice new opportunities.
Unlucky people miss chances because they worry too much about one problem. Lucky ones are open to everything new.
Wiseman gave participants in another experiment a newspaper and asked them to count the photographs in it. The unlucky ones took about two minutes, while the lucky ones took a few seconds. The fact is that it was already written on the second page: “Stop counting. There are 43 photos in this newspaper ”. Lucky people immediately saw this inscription. They turned out to be more attentive.
Lucky people have a more optimistic outlook on life. Even if things don’t go as they hoped, they tend to look for the situation’s pluses.
3 ways to attract good luck
Wiseman also decided to determine if a person could become lucky and asked the subjects to do several exercises for this. A month later, 80% of the study participants said they were happier, more satisfied with their lives, and most importantly, luckier.
Here’s what Wiseman asked to do.
Think wider
Constant worries about whether you will achieve your goal can lead to missing out on promising opportunities. Be open to everything new, and then you will have a better chance of drawing a lucky ticket.
Treat life positively
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You should not see only the negative in everything. This attitude takes away vitality. Instead of complaining about something, be grateful that the worst didn’t happen.
Do something this week that you’ve never done before.
The mundane can be tiring. If you hang out with the same people every day, eat the same food, and do the same chores, try to diversify your life. Leaving your comfort zone increases your chances of catching luck by the tail.
Yes, some of us are already born with great privileges. However, you should not blame life circumstances or other people for your failures. Take responsibility for your happiness.
Adapted and translated by Wiki Avenue Staff
Sources: Life Hacker
