Around the world, luck is perceived differently, something may be lucky in one culture but also be unlucky in another. For example, four-leaf clovers, pennies, or even the Nazar, which is an eye-shaped amulet said to protect from the “evil eye”.
Luck is either a positive or negative outcome that happens by coincidence rather than a person’s actions. The word luck originates from a middle Dutch word ‘lucken’ which means good fortune. There are many people who consider themselves to be lucky, but is “luck” even real? Many people consider luck itself a superstition, but, additionally, there are many other superstitions created based on luck, such as if you unknowingly wear a shirt inside out, something good will happen to you that day, or carrying a lucky token.
In psychology, luck is determined on a person’s locus of control, which is a person’s belief of how much control they have over their own life’s events. If a person has an internal locus of control then s/he believes the events that happen in their lives are an outcome of their own actions. On the other hand, a person with an external locus of control believes what happens in his/her life is something beyond themselves and out of their control, like luck, fate, or God.
Luck is also used as a placeholder for an event without an explanation. Many people would often say people who survive a major event like a car crash or a robbery are lucky. However, in the modern day, if a student misses a day of school then they are considered “lucky” by their classmates, or if a person trips and spills coffee on their new shirt, they may consider themselves “unlucky”.
This tricksy little word has also become a term for hiding a white lie; for example, a person who doesn’t study and cheats on a test gets a good grade. When a classmate asks them how and they may respond with “I’m just lucky like that”.
The idea of luck can also shape your outlook on the world. If you think to yourself that you are lucky and that good things will happen to you everyday then you might tend to be more optimistic about life. Conversely, if you wake up everyday thinking how unlucky you are and constantly reminiscing on every mistake you have ever made, you will become pessimistic and have a negative outlook on life.
In short, luck is a chance or an opportunity in which many people believe. It’s a superstition many were born to believe and for some it’s a key part of their childhood. It’s simply left to the person to decide for themselves whether s/he is a lucky person or not.
