What If Luck Isn’t Just About Chance, But Also About Perception?
Imagine two people, standing side by side, experiencing the exact same situation.
A sudden rainstorm interrupts their walk to work. One of them curses their bad luck, thinking, “Of course, this happens to me on the one day I forget my umbrella.” The other shrugs, ducks into a café for cover, and happens to strike up a conversation with a stranger who later introduces them to a career-changing opportunity.
Same event. Two completely different realities.
One person walks away reinforcing their belief that they are unlucky. The other feels like fate has given them a stroke of good fortune.
So, what’s the difference?
It’s not just random chance—it’s perception.
This isn’t just a philosophical idea; it’s backed by science.
Psychologists have found that our beliefs about luck shape our behavior, our decision-making, and even the way we perceive reality itself. People who see themselves as lucky tend to experience more lucky breaks, while those who believe they are unlucky unconsciously act in ways that reinforce that belief.
In other words:
- Do lucky people actually experience more fortunate events? Or are they simply more aware of opportunities that others overlook?
- Can expecting good things to happen actually increase the chances of them happening?
- Is luck less about random chance and more about mindset, optimism, and resilience?
These questions aren’t just theoretical—they’ve been studied extensively, and the results might change the way you think about luck, success, and opportunity forever.
In this chapter, we’ll explore how our thoughts about luck shape our reality—and, more importantly, how we can use that knowledge to engineer more luck in our own lives.
Your Brain on Luck: How Perception Creates Reality
At any given moment, your brain is being bombarded with information—sights, sounds, smells, tiny details in your environment. But your conscious mind can only process a fraction of it.
This means that what you notice is often based on what your brain expects to see.
This is why:
- When you buy a new car, you suddenly start seeing that model everywhere, even though the number of cars hasn’t changed.
- If you’re in a bad mood, you’re more likely to notice rude people and frustrating delays—while ignoring anything positive.
- If you believe you’re lucky, you unconsciously become more open to noticing opportunities, taking risks, and seizing chances that others miss.
This is known as selective attention bias—your brain filters reality based on what you believe to be true.
And when it comes to luck, this bias can be a game-changer.
The “Lucky vs. Unlucky” Experiment: How Beliefs Shape Outcomes
British psychologist Richard Wiseman conducted a groundbreaking study that revealed something remarkable:
People who believe they are lucky actually experience more luck—because they behave differently.
Here’s how he proved it:
The Experiment
Wiseman divided participants into two groups:
- People who believed they were lucky.
- People who believed they were unlucky.
Then, he gave each person a newspaper and a simple task:
“Count how many photographs are in this newspaper.”
What they didn’t know was that Wiseman had planted a secret message in the newspaper—a massive ad in bold letters that read:
“Stop counting—there are 43 photographs in this newspaper.”
The results were stunning.
🔹 The “lucky” people noticed the message almost immediately and completed the task in seconds.
🔹 The “unlucky” people completely missed it. They were so focused on counting the photos that they never saw the message, and they spent far more time on the task.
What Does This Prove?
The study showed that lucky people aren’t just lucky—they are more open, relaxed, and observant.
They are:
* More likely to notice opportunities.
* Less likely to get stuck in rigid thinking.
* More willing to take chances when they see something unusual.
Meanwhile, people who see themselves as unlucky tend to be:
* More anxious and distracted.
* More likely to focus on negatives.
* Less aware of unexpected opportunities.
In short:
- Lucky people don’t just experience more luck—they create more luck by being open to it.
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Do Lucky People Just Expect Good Things to Happen?
What if expecting good things actually makes them more likely to happen?
This isn’t just wishful thinking—it’s a well-documented psychological effect called the self-fulfilling prophecy.
It works like this:
- If you believe good things will happen, you act in ways that make them more likely to happen.
- If you believe bad things always happen to you, you act in ways that reinforce that belief.
Example: The Job Interview Effect
Imagine two job candidates, Alex and Jordan, are interviewing for the same position.
🔹 Alex believes they are lucky.
- They walk into the interview confidently, believing things will go well.
- They make better eye contact, smile more, and engage in natural conversation.
- The interviewer feels their enthusiasm and offers them the job.
🔹 Jordan believes they are unlucky.
- They walk into the interview assuming failure.
- Their nerves make them hesitant, closed off, and less engaging.
- The interviewer senses their low energy and moves on to another candidate.
Same interview. Different mindsets, different results.
This is why lucky people keep experiencing luck—their expectations shape their behavior, which shapes their outcomes.
The Role of Optimism and Resilience in Making Luck Work for You
1️ Optimism: The Key to Spotting Opportunities
People who expect good things to happen tend to:
✔ Take more risks.
✔ Notice more opportunities.
✔ Recover faster from setbacks.
Why? Because optimism creates action.
If you believe good luck is coming, you’re more likely to:
- Apply for that dream job, even if the odds are low.
- Start a new business venture, despite the risks.
- Say yes to new experiences, opening the door for unexpected opportunities.
2️ Resilience: Turning Bad Luck Into Good Luck
Even the luckiest people experience setbacks.
But the difference is:
🔹 Unlucky people dwell on failure and give up.
🔹 Lucky people adapt, learn, and turn failure into opportunity.
If an unlucky person loses their job, they may see it as proof that they are doomed to fail.
If a lucky person loses their job, they may see it as a chance to pivot into something better.
Their response to bad luck is what ultimately determines how much luck they experience in the future.
How to Rewire Your Mind for More Luck
If luck is about perception, mindset, and behavior, then here’s how you can start engineering more of it:
🔹 Believe you are lucky. (This changes how you act.)
🔹 Stay open to unexpected opportunities. (Look beyond the obvious.)
🔹 Take action when luck presents itself. (Don’t hesitate.)
🔹 Reframe setbacks as opportunities. (Turn bad luck into future good luck.)
Once you start thinking like a lucky person, you start experiencing life like one.
Luck Is a Skill—Not Just a Chance Event
At the end of the day, luck isn’t just about random chance.
It’s about perception, action, and resilience.
Lucky people:
✔ Expect opportunities.
✔ Recognize them when they appear.
✔ Act on them.
Unlucky people:
* Assume bad things will happen.
* Overlook opportunities.
* Miss chances to change their luck.
So the question isn’t: Are you lucky or unlucky?
The real question is: Are you acting like a lucky person?
Because once you start thinking and behaving like one, luck has a way of finding you.
The Science of Luck: Do Our Beliefs Shape Reality?
Imagine two people walking down a busy city street. The morning rush hour is in full swing—cars honking, people weaving through crowds, coffee cups in hand.
Both of these individuals are in a hurry. Both are preoccupied with their own thoughts—maybe about work, maybe about an argument from earlier that morning, or maybe just about getting through the day.
And then, both of them approach the exact same spot on the sidewalk.
There, lying among the fallen leaves and discarded receipts, is a crumpled $20 bill.
One of them notices it immediately. They stop, bend down, and pick it up. As they unfold the bill, a smile spreads across their face. “Wow,” they think, “What a lucky day! I wasn’t even looking for money, and here it is, right in front of me.” They pocket the cash, treating themselves to an extra coffee or a small luxury they hadn’t planned for.
The other person? They walk right past it.
They don’t even register that the money is there. Their eyes are fixed ahead, their mind occupied. The $20 bill is, for all practical purposes, invisible to them.
If you asked both of them at the end of the day whether they experienced any good luck, their answers would be completely different.
- The first person would say, “Yes! I found money on the street! Today was lucky.”
- The second person would say, “No, nothing special happened today.”
But the truth is, both of them had the exact same opportunity for luck. One of them saw it. The other didn’t.
Same environment. Same chance event. Two completely different realities.
This isn’t just a random fluke—it’s an example of how our perception of luck shapes our experience of it. And this is exactly the type of phenomenon that psychologist Richard Wiseman set out to study.
Richard Wiseman’s Research: Why Some People Experience More Luck Than Others
For years, psychologist Richard Wiseman has studied what makes some people luckier than others. Are some people just born with good fortune? Or do their mindsets, behaviors, and perceptions actually create more luck for them?
To answer this, he conducted an experiment that would reveal something fascinating about the nature of luck.
The Newspaper Experiment: How Lucky People Notice More Opportunities
Wiseman gathered two groups of people:
- Group 1: People who considered themselves lucky in life.
- Group 2: People who considered themselves unlucky in life.
He then gave each participant a newspaper and a simple task:
“Count how many photographs are in this newspaper.”
But here’s what he didn’t tell them: He had secretly placed a giant message in bold letters halfway through the newspaper that read:
“Stop counting—there are 43 photographs in this newspaper.”
The results were eye-opening:
- The “lucky” people noticed the message almost immediately and finished the task in just a few seconds.
- The “unlucky” people completely missed the message. They stayed focused on counting each individual photo, taking much longer to complete the task.
Why?
Because lucky people tend to be more relaxed, open, and observant—which allows them to notice opportunities that others miss.
Unlucky people, on the other hand, are more anxious, more narrowly focused, and more distracted by their own thoughts, which makes them blind to unexpected opportunities.
Just like the two people walking down the street—one noticing the $20 bill, the other walking right past it—Wiseman’s study showed that luck isn’t just about chance. It’s also about awareness.
How Mindset Creates Luck
Wiseman’s research revealed a simple but powerful truth:
- Lucky people don’t just experience more luck—they create it by being open to new experiences, noticing opportunities, and expecting good things to happen.
This leads to a self-reinforcing cycle:
- Lucky people expect good things to happen → they are more open to opportunities → they notice more lucky breaks → their belief in their luck gets stronger.
- Unlucky people expect bad things to happen → they are more anxious and focused on negatives → they miss opportunities → their belief in their bad luck gets stronger.
In other words, luck is as much about mindset as it is about probability.
How You Can Train Your Brain to Be Luckier
If luck is not just random chance, but also a matter of how we perceive the world, then that means we can train ourselves to become luckier.
Here’s how:
1️ Pay Attention to Your Surroundings
Luck often comes in unexpected forms—a chance conversation, an overlooked opportunity, a small decision that leads to something bigger.
🔹 Look around. Be present. Notice details others overlook.
🔹 Instead of rushing through life, slow down and stay open to surprises.
🔹 Start seeing the world as full of hidden opportunities.
2️ Expect Good Things to Happen
Your brain filters reality based on what you expect to see.
🔹 If you expect bad luck, you’ll notice all the things going wrong.
🔹 If you expect good luck, you’ll notice opportunities and silver linings.
Start training your brain to anticipate good things happening.
3️ Take More Chances
Lucky people don’t just wait for luck to find them—they take action.
🔹 Say yes to more opportunities.
🔹 Introduce yourself to new people.
🔹 Try new experiences, even if they’re outside your comfort zone.
The more doors you open, the more chances you give luck to walk through one of them.
4️ Reframe Bad Luck as Temporary
Even lucky people experience setbacks—but the difference is, they don’t let those setbacks define them.
🔹 Instead of thinking “I have bad luck,” think “This was just one unlucky moment.”
🔹 Instead of dwelling on failures, look for what you can learn from them.
🔹 Instead of seeing closed doors, start looking for other open ones.
Luck Isn’t Just About What Happens to You—It’s About How You See the World
Two people can experience the same situation, but their perception of luck will shape what they take away from it.
- One person notices opportunities, the other doesn’t.
- One person expects good things to happen, the other assumes the worst.
- One person believes in their ability to create luck, the other feels powerless.
This is what makes the psychology of luck so powerful—it means we’re not just passive recipients of good or bad fortune.
We have some control over how much luck we experience.
So the question isn’t just “Are you lucky or unlucky?”
The real question is:
Are you training yourself to notice and create more luck?
Because the more you expect luck, look for luck, and act on luck…
The luckier you become.
The “Lucky vs. Unlucky” Mindset Study
Can luck be predicted? Or is it truly random?
For centuries, people have debated whether some individuals are naturally luckier than others, or whether luck is just a series of random events that happen to land in someone’s favor.
British psychologist Richard Wiseman wanted to settle this debate once and for all.
He wasn’t interested in superstitions, charms, or rituals. Instead, he set out to study luck scientifically—to determine whether people who consider themselves “lucky” actually experience more lucky breaks, or if something else was going on beneath the surface.
The results of his research were astonishing.
What he found would redefine the way we think about luck—and prove that being lucky is not just about chance, but also about how we see and interact with the world.
The Experiment
To test his theory, Wiseman gathered volunteers for a simple psychological study.
He divided them into two groups based on a single question:
“Do you consider yourself a lucky or unlucky person?”
- Group 1 – People who identified as lucky in life.
- Group 2 – People who identified as unlucky in life.
Then, he gave both groups the same task:
The Newspaper Test
Each participant was handed a newspaper and given a simple instruction:
“Count how many photographs are inside this newspaper.”
On the surface, it seemed like a straightforward exercise—something that required focus, concentration, and accuracy.
But what the participants didn’t know was that Wiseman had planted a secret message inside the newspaper.
The Hidden Message
Halfway through the newspaper, in huge bold letters, Wiseman had printed the following statement:
“STOP COUNTING—THERE ARE 43 PHOTOGRAPHS IN THIS NEWSPAPER.”
If participants noticed the message, they could immediately stop and report the correct answer—saving themselves time and effort.
If they missed the message, they would continue painstakingly counting every single photo, taking much longer to complete the task.
What happened next would reveal a shocking difference between the two groups.
The Results: Why Lucky People See More Opportunities
- The “lucky” people noticed the message almost immediately. They quickly realized that they didn’t need to count the photos manually—they saw the opportunity right in front of them. They stopped counting, walked up to the experimenter, and gave the correct answer in seconds.
- The “unlucky” people completely missed the message. They were so focused on the task, so caught up in trying to be accurate, that they never saw the bold letters in front of them. They painstakingly flipped through the pages, counting each photo one by one—taking far longer to finish the task.
Same task. Same environment. Two completely different experiences.
But why?
What separated the lucky from the unlucky?
The Science Behind the Results: Why Some People See More Luck
Wiseman’s study revealed something fascinating about how luck actually works.
Lucky people aren’t just experiencing more luck—they are wired differently.
They tend to be:
✅ More open to the unexpected.
✅ More relaxed and less anxious.
✅ More observant of their surroundings.
✅ More likely to notice and seize opportunities.
In contrast, unlucky people tend to be:
* More tense and anxious.
* More focused on rigid, step-by-step tasks.
* More likely to overlook unexpected chances.
In other words, lucky people don’t just have better fortune—they create it by being more aware, adaptable, and open to possibility.
This explains why:
- Some people stumble into amazing opportunities, while others feel like they’re always missing out.
- Some people make great connections effortlessly, while others struggle to meet the right people.
- Some people notice “lucky breaks”, while others walk right past them—just like the person who missed the $20 bill on the sidewalk.
Why Anxiety Blocks Luck
One of Wiseman’s biggest discoveries was that anxiety and stress block our ability to see lucky opportunities.
Think about it—when you’re stressed, your focus narrows. You’re so caught up in the problem in front of you that you fail to notice anything else.
This is exactly what happened to the “unlucky” people in Wiseman’s study.
🔹 They were so fixated on completing the task perfectly that they ignored the obvious shortcut right in front of them.
🔹 Their narrow focus blinded them to the unexpected.
🔹 They were less flexible, less aware, and less open to anything outside of what they were specifically told to do.
Meanwhile, the “lucky” people approached the task with a more relaxed, open mindset—which made them more likely to notice the bold message in the newspaper.
The key lesson?
🔹 Luck favors those who are calm, open, and willing to notice the unexpected.
If you’re too stressed, too fixated on one outcome, or too rigid in your thinking, you may miss golden opportunities that are right in front of you.
How to Train Yourself to Be Luckier
The good news? Luck is a skill you can develop.
If lucky people naturally behave in ways that attract more luck, that means we can consciously train ourselves to do the same.
Here’s how:
1️ Stay Open to the Unexpected
- Let go of rigid expectations. Not everything will happen the way you plan—and that’s okay.
- Be flexible. Instead of focusing on only one solution, stay open to different possibilities.
- Don’t fixate on problems—stay aware of what’s happening around you.
2️ Train Yourself to Notice More Opportunities
- Look at situations with curiosity instead of stress.
- Develop the habit of observing small details—train your brain to spot things others miss.
- Keep an open mind when meeting new people—you never know who might introduce you to your next opportunity.
3️ Reduce Stress to Increase Awareness
- When we’re anxious, our brains tunnel in on one problem—blocking our ability to see lucky chances.
- Practicing mindfulness, deep breathing, and relaxation techniques can help you stay calm and observant.
- Lucky people trust that good things will happen—which keeps them more open to seeing those good things when they appear.
4️ Expect Good Things to Happen
- Your brain filters reality based on what you expect to see.
- If you believe good things will happen, you’ll be more likely to notice opportunities and act on them.
- Start each day with the mindset: “I am open to unexpected lucky opportunities today.”
The Takeaway: Luck Is About Awareness, Not Just Chance
Wiseman’s research proved that luck isn’t just random—it’s shaped by how we think, act, and perceive the world.
People who believe they are lucky:
✅ See more opportunities.
✅ Take advantage of unexpected moments.
✅ Stay relaxed and open, allowing them to spot lucky breaks.
People who believe they are unlucky:
* Overlook opportunities, even when they’re obvious.
* Stay stuck in rigid thinking and miss unexpected possibilities.
* Focus too much on problems, blinding themselves to good fortune.
The good news? We can all train ourselves to be luckier.
The more we expect luck, notice opportunities, and take action when chances arise, the luckier we become.
So the next time life hands you a newspaper, ask yourself:
🔹 Are you counting photos one by one, or are you noticing the big message in front of you?
Because once you start seeing the opportunities hidden in plain sight, you’ll realize…
- Luck isn’t just something that happens. It’s something you create.
The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: Do Lucky People Just Expect Good Things to Happen?
Wiseman’s study suggests something powerful:
What we believe about luck changes the way we experience it.
- If you believe good things will happen, you’ll be more likely to notice opportunities, take risks, and act on positive chances.
- If you believe bad things always happen, you’ll be more likely to focus on failures, avoid risks, and miss opportunities entirely.
This is known as a self-fulfilling prophecy—a psychological phenomenon where your expectations influence your behavior, ultimately making those expectations come true.
How This Works in Real Life
Let’s say you’re walking into a networking event:
🔹 The “Lucky” Mindset
- You believe that you’ll meet someone interesting.
- You smile, make eye contact, and start conversations with strangers.
- You leave with a new connection that leads to a job opportunity.
🔹 The “Unlucky” Mindset
- You assume the event will be a waste of time.
- You avoid eye contact, keep to yourself, and hesitate to engage.
- You leave with nothing, reinforcing your belief that networking never works.
Same event. Different mindsets. Different outcomes.
The key takeaway?
- Your beliefs about luck shape your actions, and your actions shape your reality.
The Role of Optimism and Resilience in Making Luck Work for You
If our beliefs about luck influence our behavior, then what qualities can help us create more luck in our lives?
Psychologists have found that two key traits make people appear luckier:
1. Optimism: The “Luck Magnet” Mindset
Optimistic people naturally expect good things to happen, which leads them to:
- Take more risks – Because they believe in positive outcomes, they are more willing to take chances that could lead to lucky breaks.
- Bounce back faster from failure – Instead of seeing setbacks as bad luck, they see them as learning experiences.
- Spot more opportunities – Their positive mindset keeps them open to unexpected possibilities.
In contrast, pessimistic people tend to see obstacles as permanent and avoid risks altogether—which ironically reduces their chances of experiencing good luck.
2. Resilience: Turning Bad Luck Into Good Luck
We often think of luck as something that happens to us, but lucky people actively shape their circumstances.
- Resilient people don’t just accept bad luck—they work with it.
- They adapt, pivot, and find new paths when things don’t go as planned.
- They refuse to let misfortune define them.
Take, for example, an entrepreneur who launches a startup that fails.
A pessimistic, “unlucky” person might say:
* “I failed. I’m not meant to be an entrepreneur.”
A resilient, “lucky” person might say:
* “That business failed, but I learned valuable lessons. I’ll apply them to my next attempt.”
By reframing setbacks as stepping stones, resilient people turn bad luck into good fortune—not because fate changes, but because their response to challenges changes.
How to Use Psychology to Cultivate More Luck in Your Life
If luck is shaped by mindset, expectations, and openness to opportunity, then here’s how you can start engineering more of it:
🔹 Adopt a “lucky” mindset – Assume that good things are coming, and act accordingly.
🔹 Stay open to the unexpected – Train yourself to notice opportunities, even in unlikely places.
🔹 Take action on chance opportunities – When luck presents itself, act fast. Don’t hesitate.
🔹 Reframe bad luck as temporary – Instead of dwelling on failure, learn from it and move forward.
🔹 Surround yourself with optimistic people – Luck is often about who you know, not just what you do.
If you do these things consistently, you’ll start to experience more luck—not because the universe has changed, but because you have.
Luck Isn’t Just About Chance—It’s About Choice
By now, it should be clear: luck isn’t just random events happening to random people.
Yes, probability plays a role. Yes, randomness exists. But the difference between people who seem to experience constant good fortune and those who feel like they are perpetually cursed by bad luck has much more to do with perception, mindset, and action than pure chance.
The truth is, some people create more luck because they expect it, notice it, and act on it. Others, unfortunately, experience more “bad luck” because they overlook opportunities, hesitate, or sabotage themselves without realizing it.
Think of luck as a river of opportunities constantly flowing past you.
🔹 Some people have trained themselves to recognize the right moments to jump in.
🔹 Others are too distracted or too hesitant and let the opportunities drift by, never realizing what they’ve missed.
🔹 And still others, believing they are “unlucky,” don’t even bother looking at the river at all.
The good news? You can learn how to jump in.
If we change the way we think about luck, we change the way we experience it.
Luck isn’t something you wait for—it’s something you invite into your life through your mindset and behavior.
And that’s exactly what we’ll explore in the next chapter:
👉 How to actively cultivate more luck in your life—by making small, strategic changes in how you think and act.
Because luck isn’t just a force that happens to you.
It’s a skill you can develop, harness, and use to your advantage.
And once you understand that, you’ll never look at luck the same way again.
Part 2: Why Are Some People Luckier Than Others?
Luck has long been seen as an unpredictable force—an invisible hand guiding some people to success while leaving others to struggle. But if luck were purely random, then everyone would have the same odds of experiencing it. And yet, certain people seem to encounter more fortunate events, while others repeatedly face obstacles.
Some people always seem to be in the right place at the right time. They meet the right people, make the right decisions, and effortlessly stumble upon opportunities that others can only dream of. Meanwhile, there are those who feel like they are always one step away from success, watching good fortune slip through their fingers time and again.
What explains this divide? Is it fate? A cosmic roll of the dice? Or is there something deeper at play?
Decades of psychological research suggest that luck isn’t as mysterious as we once believed. It isn’t just about chance—it’s about mindset, behavior, and perception.
People who consider themselves lucky tend to think and act in ways that create more opportunities for good things to happen. They are more open to new experiences, more willing to take risks, and more attuned to recognizing potential opportunities when they arise. They trust their instincts and are adaptable when life takes unexpected turns. These behaviors, consciously or not, put them in situations where luck is more likely to appear.
On the other hand, those who see themselves as unlucky often struggle to recognize or seize opportunities. They focus more on avoiding failure than on pursuing success. Their thinking is rigid, their anxiety clouds their awareness, and their fear of making mistakes prevents them from acting when chance presents itself. As a result, they miss out on the very opportunities that could have changed their luck.
This section of the book dives into the psychology of luck—what makes some people consistently luckier than others. We’ll explore the specific traits that lucky people share, the habits that increase the likelihood of experiencing fortunate events, and the ways in which anyone can shift their mindset to invite more luck into their life.
Because luck isn’t just something that happens to you.
It’s something you can cultivate, shape, and attract—if you know how.