Is There Such a Thing as the Science of Luck?

Luck has always been a mysterious phenomenon. Some people seem to get all the luck, while others would do anything for a tiny sliver of good fortune.

Scientists have been split for many years on whether luck is real, or if it is instead more to do with the power of perception. It is often said that positive people receive more luck, after all.

Various studies have come to different conclusions when examining the science of luck. So let’s take a look – is luck real?

What does the world of science say about luck?

Scientists have been examining luck for a long time, but there are still no certainties in this area.

Over the course of a 10-year period, Richard Wiseman conducted what has become one of the most important studies into luck. He found that good and bad fortune is mostly created by people. His findings have been backed up by other studies that found positive people in a good mood are more likely to receive good luck than negative individuals who are in a bad mood.

“Lucky people generate their own good fortune via four basic principles,” Wiseman said. “They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, making lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, creating self-fulfilling prophecies via positive expectations, and adopting a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good.”

Luck can also be a matter of perception. Bloomsburg University philosophy professor Steven Hales has teamed up with experimental psychologist Jennifer Johnson on studies about luck.

One of them asked participants to do the Life Orientation Test, which is a psychological assessment that is commonly used. They found that the more optimistic a person was, the luckier they would think other people were. “One of the things this means is that the more optimistic you are, the more you think others are lucky,” Hales said. “If you are more of a pessimist, you’re likelier to see others as suffering bad luck.”

Luck, superstition and the placebo factor

For a lot of people, luck is tied into various superstitions that they might have. As an example, an athlete might believe they have more luck if they put their uniform on in a certain order. However, research has also shown that there could be a placebo factor involved in luck.

One study, which was carried out back in 2010, involved telling some golfers that they were using a lucky ball. Lo and behold, while the ball was no different to a control group, the golfers who thought their ball was lucky were able to record lower scores out on the course.

Test subjects in a piece of similar research were also found to perform better if they were permitted to hold on to a lucky charm while they worked on anagram problems.

So perhaps, in this way, it is possible to manufacture luck.

Can you improve your luck at an online casino?

Luck is often debated within the gambling community. People talk about lucky streaks even though the outcome of a lot of casino games is designed to be completely random.

As an example, just because the roulette wheel comes up with an odd number 10 times in a row, this does not make it any more or less likely that the next spin will be an even number.

That said, there are still a few things that people playing at an online casino can do to improve their luck – their chance of winning against the house.

The lure of games with a jackpot is what draws a lot of people to an online casino especially in slot games such as Wish Upon a Jackpot Megaways.  . But when selecting a slot game to play, those with lower potential jackpots might be a better choice. This is due to the fact lower jackpots are won on a more regular basis than larger jackpots.

Simply being optimistic enough to believe you are going to win can also improve your luck. Let’s go back to Richard Wiseman, the professor who has extensively examined the concept of luck. He said: “When things get tough you’ve got two choices: You can either fold or you can keep going. Lucky people are very resilient.” This could be a lesson to learn at the online casino.

Wiseman’s research has also led him to believe that lucky people are more engaging and upbeat, as well as being more charismatic.

So, the next time you visit an online casino, being positive and optimistic might just pay off.