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Does believing in good luck actually make you luckier?

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Good luck is an age-old superstition that tends to divide people. It may seem like a strange question to ask ‘can believing in good luck make you luckier?’, but a number of studies and surveys show that this could actually be the case.

We are always advised to think positively if we want to get a positive outcome, so if your attitude can impact how successful you are, couldn’t it also affect your luck? On the other hand, all those who don’t believe in good luck will probably reject that claim immediately.

Beliefs are generally personal and subjective, however they can be looked at from a more objective perspective. SlotsWise recently did just that by carrying out a study on good luck and whether or not believing in it can indeed make you luckier.

The study, interestingly, concludes that regions where more people believe in good luck tend to produce more lottery winners. Regions with a lower number of good luck-believers tend to produce fewer. Of course while the lottery is a game of luck, it’s a curious fact to say the least.

You’ve probably encountered the top superstitions… touching wood, crossing fingers and picking up a penny from the pavement are some of the most popular three superstitions in the UK. Crossing fingers, or saying “fingers crossed” is believed to be the most “successful” superstition. Of all respondents who cross their fingers, 20% stated that they experienced good luck after doing so.

Aside from the most common ones, there are some more seasonal superstitions such as kissing someone on the stroke of midnight on New Year’s Eve. A quarter of people believe that this brings good luck for the coming year.

Superstition by Region

Belief in good luck varies throughout the regions, with some areas in the UK believing it more than other parts. In London, the East Midlands and the South West, 57% of people believe in good luck while just 44% of people in Yorkshire do.

As we mentioned, there seems to be a correlation between believing in good luck and becoming a lottery millionaire. Statistics show the highest number of millionaire lottery winners since 1994 are from the South East, followed by the Midlands and London.

It’s fun to note that while more than half of all Brits believe in good luck (53%), only one third consider themselves to be superstitious. Most popular superstitions have ancient origin, while there are fewer that seemed to develop in more recent times. For instance, the most popular superstition – touching wood – dates back to pre-Christian times when people believed that spirits reside in wood.

Picking up a penny is a similar superstition tradition that dates way back when people believed that all metals, including copper, were gifts from the gods, so it would be bad luck not to pick up such a finding.

Fishing Superstitions

It’s not surprising that a lot of people who play casino games, bingo or the lottery are somewhat superstitious. If you have a look at video slots offered by online casinos, you will notice quite a few themes are related to luck and superstition. Leprechauns, shamrocks and horseshoes often appear on the reels, but other themes like fishing are also represented. Fishin’ Frenzy is one of the most popular games within this category, although this is a theme that isn’t as common as some of the others.

If you’re wondering what fishing and good luck have in common, the answer is that many fishermen are in fact very superstitious. Many fishing boats are named after saints in hope of said saint protecting them on their trips. Other fishing superstitions include not renaming a boat, as this could bring bad luck.

Do you believe in good luck and if so, does this belief help you experience it in day to day life?

Contributors

Contributors

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