50 Incredible Photos That Capture The Exact Moment Luck Was On These People’s Side (New Pics)

A team of researchers from UCLA and Columbia University discovered that our beliefs about luck can be divided into two camps: stable and fleeting.

As the name implies, the first group are those who feel that luck is a fairly constant phenomenon. Essentially, they believe people are generally either lucky or unlucky.

These individuals would say that they consistently have good luck, or they consider themselves to be "lucky."

People who see luck as fleeting, on the other hand, are more likely to believe that luck follows an unpredictable pattern of ups and downs.

A 2022 survey from YouGov found that around 26% of Americans consider themselves superstitious.

The groups who were most likely to say this were Catholics (37%) and 30- to 44-year-olds (37%), as well as those whose family income was $100K or more (35%), live in cities (34%), and are from the Northeast (33%).

Respondents with a postgraduate degree (18%) and atheists and agnostics (14%) were the least likely to call themselves superstitious.

The three good-luck superstitions polled that the largest share of Americans say they believe in are making a wish while blowing out birthday candles (28%), witnessing a shooting star (28%), and saying bless you when someone sneezes (27%).

The three bad-luck superstitions believed by the greatest share of people include walking under a ladder (21%), broken mirrors (21%), and the number 666 (21%).

When executive coach Dr. Craig Dowden, author of Do Good To Lead Well: The Science And Practice Of Positive Leadership, saw the aforementioned UCLA and Columbia University study, he said, "What was most interesting to me about this research was how the participants' beliefs about luck impacted their drive for success."

"People who saw their luck as stable tended to have a significantly higher drive to succeed than those who viewed it as transitory."

The research also found that part of the relationship between luck and achievement motivation can be attributed to the fact that people who think they possess "stable" luck also feel they have more control over their lives.

According to Dowden, this makes sense because if you feel luck is stable, and within your sphere of influence, you are much more likely to persevere towards your goals.

And conversely, if you see luck as a random phenomenon, you may wonder, "What's the point?" and think additional effort is futile. This skepticism can effectively undermine your desire to carry on. Keep at it!