03 - Lucky girl syndrome.

Lucky girl syndrome.  An incarnation of the law of attraction appearing in the early 2020s is known as lucky girl syndrome. According to Woman's Health this is "the idea that you can attract things you want (like luck, money, love, etc.) by repeating mantras and truly believing things will work out for you." In early 2023 AARP explained that "The newest self-help craze, lucky girl syndrome is Gen Z's spin on books like The Power of Positive Thinking, The Secret and Manifest Your Destiny: The Nine Spiritual Principles for Getting Everything You Want. This year's version, however, puts the emphasis on luck and consistently reminding yourself that the universe is conspiring to make good things happen for you because you are a lucky person." The BBC reported that "There isn't scientific evidence for it... some have labeled it 'smuggest TikTok trend yet'".  A January 2023 article in CNET explained that "thousands of people across TikTok have posted videos about how this manifestation strategy has changed their lives, bringing them new opportunities they never expected. Manifestation is the concept of thinking things into being -- by believing something enough, it will happen."  Also in January 2023, Today.com reported that "Different manifestation techniques are taking over TikTok, and 'lucky girl syndrome' is the latest way people claim to achieve the life they desire." It also said that "Videos detailing the power of positive thinking have amassed millions of views on TikTok, and manifestation experts seem to approve." The article also quoted a manifestation coach as saying "the lucky girl mindset is, indeed, a true practice of manifestation", and that it has been around for years.  As reported by Vox, "If 2020 was the year that TikTokers discovered The Secret – that is, the idea that you can make anything you want happen if you believe in it enough – then the two years that followed are when they've tried to rebrand it into perpetual relevance. Its most recent makeover is something rather ominously called 'lucky girl syndrome...'" The article also reported that "What lucky girl syndrome – and The Secret, and the 'law of attraction', or the 'law of assumption', and prosperity gospel, and any of the other branches of this kind of New Age thinking – really amounts to, though, is 'manifesting', or the practice of repeatedly writing or saying declarative statements in the hopes that they will soon become true." The Vox article concludes "It never hurts to be curious, though. When you come across a shiny new term on TikTok, it's worth interrogating where it came from, and whether the person using it is someone worth listening to. Often, it's not that they're any better at living than you are; they're just better at marketing it."  Attempting to explain the attraction of lucky girl syndrome, Parents interviewed an LCSW therapist for teens and their families on the subject who opined that "It makes us feel like we're in control of our lives. Gen Z is constantly exposed to bad news, from layoffs to political conflicts to the student loan crisis. It makes sense that they'd be drawn to something that would make them feel a greater sense of agency and control."  The Conversation warned of the negative side of lucky girl syndrome, saying that what most videos on the topic suggest is "that what you put out to the universe is what you will get in return. So if you think you're poor or unsuccessful, this is what you'll get back. Obviously, this is quite an unhelpful message, which likely won't do much for the self-esteem of people who don't feel particularly lucky – let alone those facing significant hardship."  Also regarding negative consequences, Harper's Bazaar warned that lucky girl syndrome has much in common with toxic positivity and that "If you try it, and it doesn't work for you, it could become yet another stick to beat yourself with. If you already feel vulnerable or wobbly, this could well be something else that makes you feel bad about yourself... it ignores the fact that life is not fair. And it ignores that some people are more privileged than others. It doesn't take into account the systemic and structural biases and inequalities that exist in the world." Wikipedia: Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License.This episode includes AI-generated content.