This sentence, published in Virgil's Aeneid, in the 1st century B.C., still represents an accurate example of how society understands the fruits of chance. Luck is created. Luck is built. Luck is born. But unlike the sun, it doesn't rise for everyone.
This sentence, published in Virgil's Aeneid, in the 1st century B.C., still represents an accurate example of how society understands the fruits of chance. Luck is created. Luck is built. Luck is born. But unlike the sun, it doesn't rise for everyone.

Ashley is the epitome of luck. Her successful career in public relations takes place in the magical setting of Manhattan, where not even high rent prices seem to be an obstacle to her enviable life. Jake, on the other hand, is the personification of bad luck. His dream job is limited by consecutive rejections, and even the weather seems to get grayer every time he dares to step out of the house. Until one day, their paths cross. With a simple kiss, Jake gets Ashley's good luck, and Ashley gets Jake's bad luck. How will this event alter their lives? You’ll have to see the movie. Just My Luck (2006), starring Lindsay Lohan and Chris Pine, is one of those romantic comedies perfect for watching on a Sunday afternoon, and its message is relevant to the subject matter here. At first glance, Ashley and Jake are not in control of their destinies. Their paths are set by the luck or bad luck that is inherent to them, affecting their relationships, their professional status, and even small details such as the weather. However, when the roles are reversed, they learn to use the tools at their disposal to achieve what they fight so hard for and, in the end, shape their destiny. And no spoiler alert is necessary, because everyone knows that every rom-com has a happy ending.
Real life, on the other hand, does not always have such happy endings. In fact, sad stories tend to be more common than those that feel worthy of a Hollywood movie. This is because, as the narrators of our own lives, we are aware of the obstacles that stand in the way of our daily lives and our path towards a happier life. Is it bad luck? Many will believe so, especially when they open Instagram and visit what seems to be a catalog of dream lives. José, who is getting married. Maria, who got a promotion. And Teresa, who quit her job to travel the world. Is there such a clear division between the Ashleys and the Jakes of this world? A misplaced chromosome or a divine decree that defines how much luck there is in one's life? These were the questions Richard Wiseman wanted to answer, through a scientific investigation that lasted more than ten years. The British professor, who specializes in psychology, has dedicated a large part of his career to trying to understand whether we control the amount of luck that guides our days - and the results are encouraging. The study group, consisting of more than 400 people, included individuals of various professions and ages (from 18 to 84), separating people who felt particularly affected by streaks of good and bad luck in their lives. Barnett Helzberg, for example, was the symbol of fortune. Owner of a jewelry retail chain, Helzberg ended up selling his empire to Warren Buffett, after having crossed paths with the billionaire investor on the street, completely unexpectedly, and decided to make a proposal right there. Patricia was dogged by an unlucky reputation. As a flight attendant, she was known for always being present on tough flights and had three serious incidents in just three weeks on the job. For years, Wiseman interviewed this group and developed experiments that proved (or disproved) the natural tendency to have more or less luck. In the end, he came to the conclusion that there are no lucky or unlucky people - everyone can shape their own destiny through four simple principles.
According to Richard Wiseman, people considered lucky are better at spotting the opportunities around them. In his research, the professor asked the respondents to count the number of photographs in a newspaper and, on average, the individuals who considered themselves unlucky took two minutes to reach the final number, while the lucky ones needed only a few seconds. This was because, on the second page of the paper, Wiseman left a message in big letters: "In this newspaper, there are 43 pictures." However, those who were too concerned with getting the question right did not notice the phrase and counted one picture at a time. Several personality studies have confirmed that those who consider themselves particularly unlucky are also more prone to stress and anxiety problems, which affect their ability to spot unexpected opportunities. In addition, Richard Wiseman found that the luckiest people tended not only to detect, but also to create, positive occurrences by being connected to their intuition. That is, they changed their routine according to what their instincts told them. On their way home, they would turn right instead of going straight ahead - and, lucky them, they avoided a huge traffic jam. At a party, they would talk to the people who seemed the most interesting to them - and voilà, they found the love of their life. The third principle advocated by Wiseman is that luck is a matter of perspective. To the interviewees, he left the question, "An armed robber walks into a bank, fires his gun, and hits you in the arm. Was it good or bad luck?" The answers were divided into two groups: those who considered it unlucky to be in the bank during this occurrence and those who considered it lucky that they were shot in the arm and not in a fatal body part. The same event, two completely different perspectives. This phenomenon is not new, it is a case that has already been widely studied in the field of the sensations associated with different places on a podium. Athletes who receive a bronze medal tend to feel much more fulfilled than those who receive a silver medal. While the former were almost off the podium - but managed to get on - the latter were almost on the first place but did not reach it. This idea is also in line with the fourth and last principle raised by Richard Wiseman. Creating luck also involves turning negative situations into positive results by adopting a resilient attitude. A second place finish can be the motivation needed to go beyond and, in the next competition, reach the longed-for first place. The British professor's research concluded that, in several examples, what looked like luck was actually resilience.
Richard Wiseman published the results of his study in 2003, but 20 years later, the findings remain as current as the day they were revealed. Never have we had so many billionaires pleading that their luck was nothing more than the result of hard work. From hours of sleeping on the factory floor, says Elon Musk, from risky leaps sustained on nothing but self-confidence, says Jeff Bezos. And to some extent, both Musk and Bezos are right. Their ways are the embodiment of the actions that, according to Richard Wiseman, allow us to control the amount of luck that occurs throughout our lives. The problem is that such principles do not apply equally to each and every human being. Because Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and many of the billionaires on the list of the world's richest may have made it to the top of the ladder. But by the time they started to climb, they were already halfway up. That's the truth: from the moment we are born, the socio-economic conditions that surround us can be an advantage or a disadvantage to our path, and that, yes, is the ultimate dichotomy of good or bad luck that nobody can control. We control how many hours we study for a test, but we don't control whether we are born in a country where education is free and accessible to all members of the population. We control how many jobs we apply for, but we don't control whether there is systemic racism in companies and its employers. It is no coincidence that eight of the ten richest people in the world were born in a Western country. It is no coincidence that 18 of the 20 richest people in the world are male. It is no coincidence that Elon Musk's family owned a mine, nor that Warren Buffett's father was a member of the United States House of Representatives.
It is only possible to control luck according to the principles put forward by Richard Wiseman by assuming that we all start in an equal position, that we are all on the same step of the ladder before starting the climb. However, this is not the reality. Some people start on the twentieth step. Some people start at the first step. Some people are still looking for the ladder. But what if luck is seen from an equity perspective? Building luck also involves building mechanisms that reduce inequalities among members of society, placing them on an equal footing. Education is one of the most powerful weapons in this regard. So is easy access to primary health care and decent housing. The spread of communications, the evolution of technology, the improvement of infrastructure. All these factors have contributed to the fact that today various members of society can shape their destiny and position themselves on the right path toward a better future. Let's think again about the group studied by Wiseman. Barnett Helzberg may have spotted the right opportunity by having the courage to make an unexpected proposal to Warren Buffett, but the jewelry magnate would never have crossed paths with the investor if he didn't have the financial means to go to the same places as the latter. And in the dilemma of the bank robber, how could someone living without access to health care consider being hit by a bullet in the arm as a lucky case? The subjectivity of what constitutes a lucky person goes far beyond our ability to be optimistic. Taking all these parameters into account, are we able to shape our destiny or not? To some extent, yes. Luck is an occurrence of chance, but it is also a consequence of the actions we perform. However, there are several constraints that can make it difficult to carry out those same actions - and unfortunately, many do not seem to be within the scope of an ordinary citizen's control. One can, nevertheless, promote equity, educate for tolerance, give a hand to those further down the ladder. And we can always take a four-leaf clover the next time we go to vote.
Translated from the original on The Good Luck Issue, published March 2023.Full stories and credits on the print issue.
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