Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsUnderstanding “Lucky Girl Syndrome”The Power of Positive ThinkingManifesting and Law of AttractionThe Dark Side of “Lucky Girl Syndrome”Practical Strategies for Cultivating Positivity

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Understanding “Lucky Girl Syndrome”

The Power of Positive Thinking

Manifesting and Law of Attraction

The Dark Side of “Lucky Girl Syndrome”

Practical Strategies for Cultivating Positivity

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What if the secret to getting everything you wanted was as simple as proclaiming to anyone who would listen that you’re extremely lucky? Let’s take it a step further: what if you simply had to say you’re lucky to no one but the ‘universe’ for you to have the life of your dreams? According to TikTok, this is the secret to unlocking your best life ever.

The Good, the Bad, the UglyAs with any mental wellness fad, there are upsides and downsides:The upside: lucky girl syndrome may be instilling hope in those who have believed they’re doomed to an unfulfilling life. There is scientific backing thatpositive thinkingcan enhance our well-being, and it promotes stories of optimism.The downside: much of the content about lucky girl syndrome ignores how privilege plays a role and can emphasize spending money to access this mindset, which can prey on especially vulnerable people.

The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

As with any mental wellness fad, there are upsides and downsides:The upside: lucky girl syndrome may be instilling hope in those who have believed they’re doomed to an unfulfilling life. There is scientific backing thatpositive thinkingcan enhance our well-being, and it promotes stories of optimism.The downside: much of the content about lucky girl syndrome ignores how privilege plays a role and can emphasize spending money to access this mindset, which can prey on especially vulnerable people.

As with any mental wellness fad, there are upsides and downsides:

Let’s get to the truth of lucky girl syndrome and how you can implement realisticpositive thinking strategiesthat help enhance your well-being.

Curious about what lucky girl syndrome is? Look no further than Laura Galebe, aTikTok creatorwho is recognized as the first person to introduce this concept. In her viral video, she shares, “It wasn’t until I genuinely believed that great things just happened to me out of nowhere that things literally started flying at my face.”

In another TikTok video, a creator and her friend shared anecdotes about lucky girl syndrome working out for them, citing their belief that everything would work out for them as a key reason why they found success with a viral video they created.

Something that is often unspoken about with lucky girl syndrome is how hard work and dedication are left out of the conversation. It takes effort to create content – a video with a great concept must exist for it to go viral. Even cultivating positive thoughts can be difficult work, especially if you’re going through a hard time.

To understand lucky girl syndrome a bit better, I turned toAmanda Sacks, LCSW, E-RYT 500and founder ofWe All Feel. Amanda works with anxious millennial and Gen-Z women throughholistic individual therapyand somatic yoga sessions. Considering her expertise and how it aligns with the expected demographic of those interested in lucky girl syndrome, I was eager to ask her thoughts about it.

As someone who is adamant about acknowledging that we all feel a wide range of emotions, it is important to note that it is okay if you do not feel ‘lucky’ every day.—AMANDA SACKS, LCSW, E-RYT 500

As someone who is adamant about acknowledging that we all feel a wide range of emotions, it is important to note that it is okay if you do not feel ‘lucky’ every day.

—AMANDA SACKS, LCSW, E-RYT 500

However, she was clear that positive thinking alone isn’t enough, explaining that if someone isn’t taking any actionable steps toward finding a partner, then it is time to look deeper. “Positive thinking has value, as long as it is partnered with reality.”

While some may be quick to write this off asdelusional thinking(which, it is worth adding, Galebe encourages folks to be delusional to see the magic of these thoughts), there is some scientific backing behind positive thinking.

In a study for theBehavior Research and TherapyJournal, it was proven that replacing thoughts about potential negative outcomes with either images of potential positive outcomes or positive images unrelated to the worries leads to significantly less anxiety and worry. Skeptical about the extent of the participants’ worries? They were substantial – the study was conducted with participants who were diagnosed withgeneralized anxiety disorder.

Why Toxic Positivity Can Be Harmful

Lucky girl syndrome isn’t an original phenomenon. Its rhetoric has origins in the law of attraction and New Age discourse onmanifestation. Thelaw of attractioncan be best understood as ‘like attracts like,’ meaning positive thoughts attract positive thoughts, andnegative thoughtsattract negative thoughts.

Positive thinking has value, as long as it is partnered with reality.—AMANDA SACKS, LCSW, E-RYT 500

Positive thinking has value, as long as it is partnered with reality.

Manifestation is understood as the ability to attract what you want based on positive thinking alone.While the idea that just our thoughts can give us everything we want sounds pretty great, things just don’t always work that way.

Let’s say you’re down on your luck. You can’t seem to get out ofdebt, you’re facinghousingandfood insecurity, you were recently dumped, and you can’t find work that feels like the right fit for you. This is an experience that is unfortunately all too common for many. Yet, if you’re experiencing any or all of those things, does that mean your thoughts are to blame?

Let’s take it a step further—you’re experiencing all of those things and taking every action you can while remaining hopeful things can change. What does it mean when the struggles persist? These questions are at the core of the perils of lucky girl syndrome. Luck isn’t enough, especially in a world that is especially cruel to those withmarginalized identities.

Luck isn’t enough, especially in a world that is especially cruel to those with marginalized identities.—JULIA CHILDS HEYL, MSW

Luck isn’t enough, especially in a world that is especially cruel to those with marginalized identities.

—JULIA CHILDS HEYL, MSW

“They [law of attraction and lucky girl syndrome] are faith-based beliefs… They require that you suspend your logic and critical thinking,” explains licensed marriage and family therapistAlegria Louise Demeestere.

Be aware that rhetoric around manifestation, the law of attraction, and lucky girl syndrome can come with promises of change fromlife coachesand invitations to purchase adjunctive materials, like a guided journal. When in a place of desperation, folks can feel so eager for change that they will do anything, including purchasing goods and services they cannot afford. Alternatively, some practitioners may make unrealistic promises.

It’s Time to Ditch Toxic Positivity in Favor of Emotional Validation

You’ve heard the good and the bad about lucky girl syndrome. Now, it is time to find a middle ground that is realistic, effective, and easy to implement. We asked Alegria what she would suggest to a client who is expressing interest in lucky girl syndrome.

She explained that many may simply want a sense of security, not necessarily the external things, and security comes through our personal relationships. “A lot of my work with this client would be to help them create supportive, secure relationships in their lives—and for many people, this will involve processingrelational injuriesandtrauma.”

Amanda turns towardsomatic-based practices, stressing the importance ofbreathworkto support folks in soothing their nervous system. “With breathwork, you can calm your nervous system or quickly shift away from unhelpful thought patterns,” she explains.

Keep in Mind

If you’re feeling called to lucky girl syndrome, it wouldn’t be surprising if it was because you were feeling particularlyunlucky. There can be many reasons for this, but you don’t have to go through it alone.

Consider reaching out to atherapistwho can support you in healing the hurts, moving towards what you want, and staying rooted in reality along the way.Inclusive Therapistsis an excellent therapist directory that offers a wide range of diverse providers. If finances are tight,Open Path Collectiveis another directory that is specifically for therapists who offer sliding scale sessions.

Life is nuanced and full of complicated emotional experiences. Amanda put it best: “Feelings come and go. As humans, it is our job to let them.”

The Best Online Therapy ProgramsWe’ve tried, tested and written unbiased reviews of the best online therapy programs including Talkspace, Betterhelp, and Regain.

2 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Dixon LJ, Hornsey MJ, Hartley N.“The secret” to success? The psychology of belief in manifestation.Pers Soc Psychol BulI. doi:10.1177/01461672231181162.

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