the superstition survey

A few years ago, Prof. Wiseman carried out a large scale study examining the psychology of superstition and luck.

4000 people took part in this a large on-line survey and were asked if they considered themselves lucky or unlucky, and whether they carried out various superstitious behaviours.

The results revealed that lucky people tend to carry out superstitious behaviours that are designed to bring them good luck – such as touching wood, crossing their fingers and carrying a lucky charm. In contrast, unlucky people believe in superstitions that bring bad luck – such as breaking a mirror, walking under a ladder or having anything to do with the number 13.

The differences are substantial – for example, 49% of lucky people regularly cross their fingers compared to just 30% of unlucky people. Likewise, just 18% of lucky people become anxious if they break a mirror, compared to 40% of unlucky people. Perhaps most important of all for Friday, 55% of unlucky people dread the number 13, compared to just 22% of lucky people.

The results support the notion that people make their own luck – lucky people carry out behaviours that make them feel good, whereas unlucky people’s superstition cause them to expect the worst.

The survey also revealed the UK’s top superstitions and the percentage of people endorsing each of them:

1: Touching wood – 86%
2: Crossing fingers – 64%
3: Walking under a ladder – 49%
4: Breaking a mirror – 34%
5: Worried about the number 13 – 25%
6: Carrying a lucky charm – 24%

These are surprisingly high figures, and indicate that superstition is alive and well in modern day Britain. Indeed, amazingly, 86% of Brits said that they carried out at least one of these superstitious behaviours. Even scientists are not immune from superstition - for example, 15% of people with a science background said that they feared the number 13.

Source: http://www.psy.herts.ac.uk

lucky quotes

Here are a few quotations about luck to live by I have found here and there. Pick your favourite!

• "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" - Seneca, Roman dramatist
• "Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke a luck" Dalai Lama, 1989 Nobel Peace Prize
  
• "Reverence, humility, contentment, gratitude and hearing the good Dhamma, this is the best good luck" - Buddha
  
• "Luck affects everything, let your hook always be cast; in the stream where you least expect it, there will be a fish" - Ovid, Roman poet
  
• "Luck never gives, it only lends" - Swedish proverb
  
• "I've found that luck is quite predictable. If you want more luck, take more chances. Be more active. Show up more often" - Brian Tracy, American television host
• "He that is afraid of bad luck will never know good" - Russian proverb
  
• "Luck can only get you so far" - Hermione, in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• "I busted a mirror and got seven years bad luck, but my lawyer think he can get me five" - Stephen Wright, American writer and actor

luck and opportunities

Lucky people tend to have a somewhat relaxed view of life. They are less concerned with mundane details and more prone to look at the bigger picture. Ironically, by trying less, they see more.

Of course, being lucky isn't just about adopting a relaxed attitude toward life. Lucky people possess a whole host of opportunity-attracting traits. For example, many of them go to considerable lengths to introduce variety and change into their lives.

The theory behind this "do something different" behavior is simple. Imagine living in the center of a large apple orchard and having to collect a large basket of apples each day. At first, you will be able to find apples wherever you go. But as time goes on, it will become more difficult to find apples in the places you have visited before. But if you venture into other parts of the orchard, your chances of finding apples increase tremendously.

And it is exactly the same with being lucky. You will quickly exhaust your potential opportunities if you keep talking to the same people, taking the same route to and from work and going to the same places on holiday. But introducing new or random experiences is like visiting a new part of the orchard--suddenly you are surrounded by hundreds of apples.

Lucky people experience a large number of seemingly chance encounters. They bump into someone at a party, discover that they know people in common, and from these connections end up getting married or doing business together. Or when they need something, they always seem to know someone who knows someone who can solve their problem.

A summarized article by Richard Wiseman on forbes.com

yet another lucky blog

Net surfers and luck searchers from all over the world, welcome to my new blog! I hope you will like it and that you will let me know what you think about it.
The blogosphere is already quite saturated in terms of topics and subjects, you can already find practically anything about what you are interested in. Tips and advices on how to have a better and easier life abound on the net.

So, I was a bit hesitant in starting my own blog about such a topic that has always captivated me more and more (as a long time not-so-lucky person on his way to become a more fortunate one!). Moreover, I chose to write it in English, which is actually not my mothertongue... nevertheless, I'll be giving my best effort to make it a valuable compass in the world of self improvement, mixing my own personal thoughts with bits and pieces of carefully chosen enlightening articles and books, along with some, in my opinion, excellent material for both material and spiritual prosperity which I will share along the way.

So, shall we begin our trip into the essential and fascinating world of abundance? Welcome aboard!