22nd April 2026
Improving your luck in life might sound like wishful thinking, but psychologists suggest it’s far less random than it appears. What we call luck is often a combination of mindset, behaviour and exposure to opportunity, and these are all things we can influence.
One of the most influential bodies of research comes from psychologist Richard Wiseman, whose decade-long studies into lucky and unlucky people found consistent behavioural differences. People who considered themselves lucky were more open to new experiences, more socially engaged, and more willing to take risks. This meant they encountered more opportunities, and crucially, acted on them.
Wiseman even ran an intervention study where participants adopted ‘lucky behaviours’ such as switching up their routines, speaking to new people, and reframing their setbacks. Around 80% of these people reported feeling happier, more satisfied, and luckier.
This idea is supported by broader psychological theory. In simple terms, increasing your ‘surface area’ for opportunity increases the probability of positive outcomes. If you try more things, meet more people, and explore more paths, you create more chances for something good to happen.
Mindset is also important. A 2025 study found that people who felt personally ‘lucky’ tended to report higher levels of wellbeing than those who believed luck was purely external. Believing in yourself and your capacity to influence the world around you and the outcomes of the situations you face goes a long way. Attributing everything to random chance can be disempowering.
Consider the often-quoted idea from business leaders like Steve Jobs: success is rarely just luck, but a product of curiosity, experimentation, and risk-taking. Jobs famously dropped out of college and explored calligraphy, an unconventional move that later influenced Apple’s design philosophy.
Another key factor is attention. Humans are prone to confirmation bias: the tendency to notice evidence that supports existing beliefs. When people start believing they are lucky, they begin to notice more positive events and opportunities, reinforcing that belief. This creates a feedback loop in that optimism leads to action, action leads to opportunities, and opportunities reinforce optimism.
However, it is also important to acknowledge that not all luck is good. Life inevitably involves moments of bad luck, whether it is missing out on an opportunity, encountering unexpected setbacks, or simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. These experiences are part of the same randomness we try to harness, and no amount of mindset can eliminate them.
In fact, research suggests that how people interpret bad luck may be just as important as how they pursue good luck. Those who consider themselves ‘lucky are more likely to see setbacks as temporary or even useful in hindsight. What initially feels like misfortune can sometimes redirect people toward better opportunities, relationships, or decisions that would not have happened otherwise.
There are countless real-world examples of this. People who miss out on a job only to find a better fit later, or who experience a failure that forces them to rethink their path, often describe these moments as turning points. In this sense, bad luck is not always purely negative; it can act as a catalyst for change.
So how can you practically improve your luck? First, diversify your routine. Studies consistently show that people who break habits and expose themselves to new environments encounter more opportunities.
Second, expand your social network. Many lucky breaks come through other people, whether it’s a job lead, collaboration, or an unexpected idea.
Third, adopt a bias toward action. Saying yes more often, even when outcomes are uncertain, statistically increases the number of positive possibilities.
Finally, reframe setbacks. Lucky people tend to interpret negative events as temporary or even beneficial in hindsight, which keeps them engaged rather than discouraged.
In the end, luck is not something you simply have or don’t have. It is something you partially construct. By changing how you think, where you go, and how you respond to the world, you shift the odds in your favour. Luck tends to find the people who are already moving.
