The romanticization of health and wellness has taken social media by storm. Since the original self-care movement in the 2010’s, there have been numerous trends online regarding self-healing and wellness. In January, a new trend called “lucky girl syndrome” came to light. 

Lucky girl syndrome is the viral TikTok trend in which people utilize gratitude and manifestation techniques to supposedly bring luck into their lives. 

“The lucky girl syndrome is a way of looking at life in a more positive context,” senior Tina Duran said. 

“The way your life goes has a lot to do with the way you think. The energy you put out into the world usually comes back to you one way or another.”

This mindset could be beneficial, especially to students with a long, intimidating list of tasks, Duran noticed.

“Sometimes, I get discouraged from wanting to even look at my to-do list, but incorporating manifestation into my mindset has subconsciously made me do things that lead me to success,” Duran said. “Usually, I end up manifesting joy and success in life, and just having that in the back of my head makes me work harder and want it even more. Manifestation and hard work go hand in hand.”

In order to determine whether or not manifesting luck affects a person’s wellbeing, psychology teacher Bryce Stoddart discusses luck and the ramifications of believing in external forces which influence a person’s future. 

“A person’s thinking and their beliefs have a big impact on how they feel about themselves and their life and their ability to realize their dreams,” Stoddart said. “People who are optimistic have an internal locus of control, meaning that they feel empowered and they feel that they have agency in their lives and can realize their dreams.”

Believing in luck generally is positive. As Stoddart says, “The belief that the universe is working for you and helping you realize your potential is very empowering.” However, believing in bad luck may have the opposite effect. 

“People that are pessimistic also tend to lack what’s called an internal locus of control, meaning that they feel that there are forces outside of their own agency as a human being that are determining their future that they have no control over,” Stoddart said. “That’s the idea that ‘no matter what I choose to do about my own future, [it] will not make a difference because there are forces outside and circumstances I can’t control.’”

Overall, believing in the positive effects of luck does have benefits. Whether or not luck truly does exist, convincing yourself of the benefits may improve your outlook on life and increase levels of happiness. 

Duran said, “I would recommend it to anyone who feels bogged down in their day-to-day life in the sense that the lucky girl complex is a way of forming your own ‘light at the end of the tunnel.’ Changing your mindset can alter your way of seeing the world in a positive way.”