English Version | The universe has my back

The Lucky Girl Syndrome trend has flooded TikTok, but the claims that go with it are nothing new. The explanation of this trick is not reduced to magic, it has a plausible justification.

"I'm so lucky." "Good things happen to me all the time." "The universe favors me." "Everything I wish for will come true." I have repeated these four phrases in front of the mirror every day for a week now. No, it's not a sign of impending madness, but rather the latest TikTok trend (even though the two options often get confused). I follow the recommendations of influencers or, as they call themselves, spiritual gurus, who assure me that with these mere phrases, my life will change for the better. I admit that as soon as I saw the first video about Lucky Girl Syndrome I rolled my eyes. But before I could express my cynicism, I remembered my New Year's resolution: to be less skeptical. And, as proof of dedication to the mantra, I decided to start experimenting with what seemed to me to be a simple task. Of course, my motivation was not only this. I was seduced by the thousands of videos on TikTok that promised me that this simple habit would change my life. The hashtag #LuckyGirlSyndrome has over 385 million views, there may be some kind of benefit. The short videos on the phenomenon detail the immense power of affirmations said throughout the day. The assumption is that if we repeat phrases like "I'm so lucky," from morning to night, to ourselves, this luck becomes a constant in our lives.

I won't deny, some of my skepticism may well be a result of the short period in which I participate in this viral phenomenon. There are some people - many in fact - who report that, with constancy, repeating these mantras has miraculous results. Such is the case of Lauren Bulloch (@lauren_bulloch), an influencer on TikTok with more than 200,000 followers and more than two million likes on her videos. Among these, the most popular is one in which Bulloch describes her experience with Lucky Girl Syndrome and how the statements that make it up have affected her life. In an interview with Vogue Portugal, she delves into her experience with this habit that, she assures us, has saved her life. "Adopting a 'lucky' state of mind was not an easy process, but once I started believing in my luck, my life flourished in ways I didn't think possible," Bulloch relates. In the video detailing her experience, the influencer confesses, "My life was a disaster." She recalls that "I was going through a horrible breakup, was unemployed and in debt," but after implementing affirmations, "I noticed a giant change in my self-confidence." Bulloch goes further, confessing that the affirmations she repeats to herself "have created a belief that I can take refuge in when facing the difficulties in my life." The American influencer confirms our suspicions that the secret lies in regularity. Bulloch is not just another victim of Lucky Girl Syndrome: "It was in September 2020 that I started implementing daily routines of affirmations, meditation, and journaling." We are now introduced to two new methods of manifestation and, perhaps, to feel the effects of Lucky Girl Syndrome we must diversify our approach. This seems to be Bulloch's secret, which relates to her daily routine. "Even though it varies from day to day, the most important part is the energy that affirmation creates within me, that this is the energy with which I approach the rest of my day, my interactions, and the world." But the influencer is keen to reinforce that there is no universal formula. To get started on the trend, Bulloch suggests "using quotes or song lyrics, any phrase that lights a flame in your heart will do." Maybe I should change my statements to "'Cause I am a champion, and you're gonna hear me roar."

Lauren Bulloch's words convince us. They motivate us to continue with this peculiar routine. The influencer is just one more voice among the thousands who share on the Internet the effect the phenomenon has had on their lives. Let's not be fooled by the name, Lucky Girl Syndrome crosses genre lines. One need only open TikTok to be bombarded with videos of men explaining the effect that repeating positive phrases has had on their quality of life. The idea that we are building our destiny through our spiritual potential alone is appealing, but rationality denies us this possibility. Is it not simply the placebo effect in the minds of susceptible TikTok users? Does this kind of practice have any kind of scientific validity? Against all (our) expectations, there is a rational explanation for the effect of daily affirmations. This surprising finding comes to us through the words of David Sherman, a professor of social psychology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. According to him, what we call spiritual manifestation is self-affirmation theory. According to the American researcher, the theory, which has been around since the 1980s, corroborates the validity of self-affirmations, that is, "actions, ideas, or even written reinforcements, that can help a person maintain a sense of integrity when faced with threats." No, these threats are not what common sense would label threats. Self-affirmations would not save us from a wild animal or an earthquake. Sherman clarifies what is meant by threats, in the context of this theory, as something very different: "A psychological threat is a challenge to our integrity, whether it is a disparaging remark from our boss, spouse, or even doctor, these remarks can suggest to us that we are not as moral, wise, or effective as we thought we were." These challenges, common to everyone's life, can be destructive to a person's self-esteem. But through self-affirmations, we can rebuild what these moments destroy.

David Sherman lays out the potential of the theory bluntly, "Self-affirmations allow us to better understand the true power and resources of our mind." The establishment of this theory in the scientific community was not done through hypothetical scenarios. The verification of it had to go through a rigorous scientific method. Numerous tests were conducted to verify the application of self-affirming theory in different contexts. And no, the testimonies of tiktokers were not part of these considerations. Long before the birth of the social network, the effect of self-affirmations was already proven. "After years of research, social psychologists have already been able to prove the benefits of the theory in academic settings," Sherman instructs. But school is not the only place where the usefulness of affirmations is proven. The American researcher's descriptions lead us to conclude: applying this theory is a way to improve our quality of life. "When a person uses self-affirmations they are much more likely to be less defensive about criticism. He becomes much more willing to understand what he did wrong, take responsibility, and in changing his behavior." If humility is not what you seek in your daily life, Sherman lays out the most compelling argument for adopting affirmations: "stress reduction." He explains, "People who 'affirm' themselves are not as stressed. This is because affirmations allow us to understand what causes us stress in a more objective way, not letting it control the view we have of ourselves."What David Sherman describes is indeed a science, there's no co-disputing it. But we don't need empirical evidence to understand the logic behind the explanation. We need only think of the phenomenon The Secret, a movie and book that totaled popular culture in the first decade of the 21st century. The secret behind the method suggested by the book/movie is essentially the same dissected by self-affirmation theory and reinterpreted by the Lucky Girl Syndrome. If we make a conscious effort to, instead of letting negative things ruin our mood, allow random episodes of happiness to motivate us, we change the world we live in. "The idea is that a timely statement can lead to a small change that, in turn, concurs to change a person's mood," Sherman explains. The researcher substantiates the logic with a practical example: "If a student who is less stressed does well on a test and receives positive feedback as a result, this creates a change in their behavior." What the American describes is essentially a positive vicious cycle. In other words: there is very little magic in the power of affirmations.

The term self-affirmation suggests images of futile glorification: a person who simply looks in the mirror and repeats 'you are the best in the world,' but these kinds of practices can go wrong." The researcher adjusts us to reality - the effect behind affirmations cannot, and should not, be reduced to the simplicity presented in TikTok. "The statements we refer to in social psychology are not hollow." Entrusting our metamorphosis to words we repeat is unwise; we must nurture them seriously. Sherman concretizes, "Reflection on the values, relationships, and identities that are important to us is essential." The sentiment is corroborated by Lauren Bulloch. According to the influencer, this is the danger of Lucky Girl Syndrome, "calling ourselves lucky won't magically solve all our problems, we have to change our behavior." He continues, "As great as it is to see that people are trying to change their state of mind, they have to realize that this kind of change is not easy to implement, it is laborious. Being lucky means that we prioritize gratitude, not that the world will come to obey our wishes." The levity associated with the statements present on social media can be harmful. According to David Sherman, "overly positive affirmations can have the opposite effect-if a person with low self-esteem says they accept themselves completely, the negative thoughts can overwhelm the positive ones." The researcher repeats the influencer's advice, stressing that it is necessary to find what works for each of us and emphasizing that "self-affirmations can take a variety of forms: spending time with friends, volunteer work, religious services, going shopping, etc." Both Sherman and Bulloch agree on one point: the Lucky Girl Syndrome is valid, but it is not magic; it needs to be substantiated with emotional and psychological work. The statements we say to the mirror may be a spark, but we are the ones responsible for keeping it lit.

Translated from the original on The Good Luck Issue, published march 2023.Full stories and credits on the print issue.