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This article comes from the official account of Wechat: SF Chinese (ID:kexuejiaodian), author: SF

Many people think that positive thoughts can bring good luck. However, just thinking that "my luck will get better" will not have any positive impact on life. So, is it really no good for life to have positive, positive thoughts?

(Christian Jarrett / tr. by Phil Newell)

Translation | Li Tiantian

Editor | Wen Jing

The original article is published in Science focus 2023.06.

Will you be lucky if you forward the koi? This is just a cognitive bias. The topic of "lucky girl syndrome" has set off a craze on overseas social media, with hundreds of millions of views. These "lucky girls" think that once they start reciting mantras or repeating positive thoughts such as "I believe the best will happen to me" and "whatever happens to me, the situation is good for me." it will bring you good luck, and then something good will happen.

For example, a "lucky girl" uses this method to make her business successful, with a new social circle and other benefits. "if you keep holding the positive idea that'I'm lucky, all the good things will happen to me, 'you will have a feeling of luck and excitement, which will change your' magnetic field 'and really bring different gains and luck to your life," she said.

To be honest, this topic is full of pseudoscience, and it can be said that it is another form of "hypothetical law", "law of attraction" and "law of manifestation"-as long as you imagine that good things always happen to you, they will actually happen. Obviously, this is impossible.

From a scientific point of view, this superficial drama makes no sense. Some critics have also pointed out bluntly that the dissemination of this concept is potentially harmful, that many people with living difficulties are considered to be inactive and therefore condemned, and that public attention will be diverted from social problems such as unfairness, or real "bad luck" (such as natural disasters, congenital physical defects, etc.), which are the real causes of the predicament.

However, many social media users believe in the idea that positive thoughts bring good luck. There is no doubt that many people believe in this idea because of cognitive bias, in other words, after accepting this "lucky girl" philosophy, they will attribute any good that has happened since then, and regard some bad things as temporary phenomena.

Is the power of a positive attitude "virtual" or "real"? In addition to cognitive bias, what other psychological laws are involved behind this problem? There is no point in thinking that "good things will always happen", but many advocates of "lucky girl syndrome" are talking about the power of a positive attitude. So can saying some self-affirmative words really cultivate a positive attitude and play a positive role in life?

In this respect, the psychological explanation becomes very subtle. On the one hand, research shows that telling yourself you are lucky and imagining that you have achieved your goals, but never taking the initiative to achieve them, is likely to be counterproductive. However, there is a psychological theory called "psychological contrast", which is just the opposite, which is proved by facts. According to this theory, if we take the time to think about the problems that may arise and the obstacles we will face, then we are actually more likely to achieve our goals, because doing so will help us to predict the difficulties we will encounter in the future and find solutions.

On the other hand, there are a large number of studies that have proved the benefits of staying optimistic in life. Generally speaking, optimistic people tend to be happier, live longer and be healthier. Because they have positive expectations for life, their levels of anxiety and stress naturally decrease.

Optimists are also encouraged by the positive prospects they envision, thus devoting time and energy to achieving goals or personal ambitions. For example, this is the case with a psychological practice called "best self" intervention therapy. When using this method, take the time to imagine that all your dreams and wishes have come true in the future. Studies have shown that this method can promote optimism among people.

Note, however, that these studies do not support the idea of "lucky girl syndrome". In other words, there is no scientific basis for saying that you are lucky. But some studies do show that staying hopeful and motivated may be good for people, especially if they keep working hard.

There is also a series of rigorous studies on the beneficial effects of positive self-affirmation by making a solemn commitment to what you value. In psychology, there is no such empty description as "getting lucky". On the contrary, these positive self-affirmations are a commitment to what one values. For example, stay independent, be humble, be a member of a particular social group or organization (such as a company or university), or become an athlete. Research shows that affirming your worth in this way, rather than simply adhering to the "get lucky" credo, helps prevent stigmatization and stereotypes.

References:

Https://www.sciencefocus.com/news/lucky-girl-syndrome-a-psychologist-explains-how-tiktoks-extreme-positive-thinking-trend-could-backfire/

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