I just finished reading Richard Wiseman’s book “The Luck Factor,” and now I’m going down a rabbit-hole about the psychology of luck.
Does anyone have any suggestions/resources/anecdotes about this?
I read some interesting stuff recently about how people who think they’re “lucky” actually tend to be lucky. It may have been a summary of Wiseman’s work.
I asked ChatGPT to summarize it:
“Lucky” people follow consistent patterns:
- They notice more opportunities
They’re more relaxed and open, so they pick up on things others miss. In one experiment, “lucky” people spotted more chances in a newspaper than “unlucky” people, even though the opportunities were obvious. - They act on those opportunities
They talk to strangers, try things, and expose themselves to randomness. More surface area = more “luck.” - They expect good things to happen
That expectation subtly changes behavior. They persist longer, come across more positively, and recover faster from setbacks. - They reframe bad outcomes
Instead of “that ruined everything,” it’s “that could’ve been worse” or “this might lead somewhere.” That keeps them in motion instead of shutting down.
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I was reading a recent issue of Psychology Today and they reported a New Zealand study on “toxic masculinity”, by researcher Deborah Cone using 15,000 heterosexual male volunteers.
They focused on eight domains: gender identity centrality (how important is being a man to men), sexual prejudice, narcissism, disagreeableness, hostile sexism, benevolent sexism, opposition to domestic violence programs, and social dominance (a preference against equality of the genders).
The largest group (35.4%) had low values across all eight indicators and were deemed “atoxic”. 27.2% and 26.6% also both showed low to moderate values across all eight indicators but were divided into different groups for some reason (likely the difference of degree).
Only the two highest groups showed signs of “toxicity”. 7.6% showed high values in “benevolent sexism” and sexual prejudice, with moderate values on other domains. 3.2% had high values on “hostile sexism”, opposition to domestic violence prevention, disagreeableness, narcissism and social dominance.
The article concluded true toxic masculinity was overhyped and rarer than many suppose. A similar North American or global study might be interesting.
But what do you think?
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I think this is a very true statement. I can’t say that I personally know anyone that would fall under the category of toxic masculinity. Maybe one or two of the gentlemen on this forum, but I don’t know any of them personally, so I won’t count them. Most men I know are just masculine. This does feel like the kind of topic that @BrickHead would weigh in on though.
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Brad and I have done several podcasts together now. he’s as solid as they get. Just a good dude.
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I assume this is brick head? Yeah. As my sons get older I see his point of “manly spaces” more.
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@BethB @marine77 hey, thanks people, and for the kind words! I will try to chime in soon. I’m about to go to the gym and I haven’t posted much because I’ve been so busy, partly from making videos, work on top of my regular job, and kids/family stuff.
I was thinking of linking my channel here but am bashful to do so, which I know doesn’t make sense considering YT exposes me far more than a fitness site. Maybe I will. I recently broke the 1,000 subs mark. I managed to interview two authors who I’ve referenced over and over on this forum for an episode and will interview another in a few hours.
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I know men with such traits, and they’re not my friends because of them. One is a former close friend, and he is an unusual man who we can apply the term toxically masculine, as goofy as it is. I also know a few formerly violent or criminal men. Few men are like this.
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Yes… his Youtube is great stuff
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