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"Good luck" redirects here. For other uses, see Good Luck (disambiguation). A four-leaf clover is often considered to bestow good luck.Luck or chance is an event which occurs beyond one's control, without regard to one's will, intention , or desired result. There are at least two senses people usually mean when they use the term, the prescriptive sense and the descriptive sense. In the prescrip tive sense, luck is a supernatural and deterministic concept that there are forc es (e.g. gods or spirits) which prescribe that certain events occur very much th e way laws of physics will prescribe that certain events occur. It is the prescr iptive sense that people mean when they say they "do not believe in luck". In th e descriptive sense, luck is a word people give after the occurrence of events w hich they find to be fortuitous or unfortuitous, and maybe improbable. Cultural views of luck vary from perceiving luck as a matter of random chance to attributing to such explanations of faith or superstition. For example, the Rom ans believed in the embodiment of luck as the goddess Fortuna,[1] while the phil osopher Daniel Dennett believes that "luck is mere luck" rather than a property of a person or thing.[2] Carl Jung viewed luck as synchronicity, which he descri bed as "a meaningful coincidence". Lucky symbols are popular worldwide and take many forms. Contents [hide] 1 Etymology and definition 2 Interpretations 2.1 As lack of control 2.2 As a fallacy 2.3 As an essence 2.4 As a self-fulfilling prophecy 3 Social aspects 3.1 Games 3.2 Lotteries 3.3 Means of resolving issues 3.4 Numerology 3.5 Science 4 In religion and mythology 4.1 Buddhism 4.2 Hinduism 4.3 Islam 5 See also 6 References Etymology and definition[edit] Look up Luck in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. 1927 advertisement for lucky jewellery. "Why Be Unlucky?".The English noun luck appears comparatively late, during the 1480s, as a loan from Low German (Dutch o r Frisian) luk, a short form of gelucke (Middle High German gelcke). Compare to o ld Slavic word lukyj (?????) - appointed by destiny and old Russian luchaj (???? ?) - destiny, fortune. It likely entered English as a gambling term, and the con text of gambling remains detectable in the word's connotations; luck is a way of understanding a personal chance event. Luck has three aspects[3][4] which make it distinct from chance or probability.[5] Luck Luck Luck Some can be good or bad.[6] can be accident or chance.[7] applies to an entity. examples of luck:

Finding a valuable object or money Winning an event despite negative logical assumptions You correctly guess an answer in a quiz which you did not know. Avoiding an accident at the last moment Being born in a wealthy family Before the adoption of luck at the end of the Middle Ages, Old English and Middl e English expressed the notion of "good fortune" with the word speed (Middle Eng lish spede, Old English sped); speed besides "good fortune" had the wider meanin g of "prosperity, profit, abundance"; it is not associated with the notion of pr obability or chance but rather with that of fate or divine help; a bestower of s uccess can also be called speed, as in "Christ be our speed" (William Robertson, Phraseologia generalis, 1693). The notion of probability was expressed by the Latin loanword chance, adopted in Middle English from the late 13th century, literally describing an outcome as a "falling" (as it were of dice), via Old French cheance from Late Latin cadentia "falling". Fortuna, the Roman goddess of fate or luck, was popular as an allego ry in medieval times, and even though it was not strictly reconcilable with Chri stian theology, it became popular in learned circles of the High Middle Ages to portray her as a servant of God in distributing success or failure in a characte ristically "fickle" or unpredictable way, thus introducing the notion of chance. Interpretations[edit]Luck is interpreted and understood in many different ways. As lack of control[edit]Luck refers to that which happens to a person beyond tha t person's control. This view incorporates phenomena that are chance happenings, a person's place of birth for example, but where there is no uncertainty involv ed, or where the uncertainty is irrelevant. Within this framework one can differ entiate between three different types of luck: 1.Constitutional luck, that is, luck with factors that cannot be changed. Place of birth and genetic constitution are typical examples. 2.Circumstantial luck with factors that are haphazardly brought on. Accidents and epidemics are typical examples. 3.Ignorance luck, that is, luck with factors one does not know about. Examples c an be identified only in hindsight. As a fallacy[edit]Another view holds that "luck is probability taken personally. " A rationalist approach to luck includes the application of the rules of probab ility and an avoidance of unscientific beliefs. The rationalist feels the belief in luck is a result of poor reasoning or wishful thinking. To a rationalist, a believer in luck who asserts that something has influenced his or her luck commi ts the "post hoc ergo propter hoc" logical fallacy: that because two events are connected sequentially, they are connected causally as well. In general: A happens (luck-attracting event or action) and then B happens; Therefore, A influenced B. More contemporary authors writing on the subject believe that definition of good destiny is: one who enjoys good health, has the physical and mental capabilitie s of achieving his goals in life, has good appearance, has happiness in mind and is not prone to accidents.[8] In the rationalist perspective, probability is only affected by confirmed causal connections. The gambler's fallacy and inverse gambler's fallacy both explain some reasoning problems in common beliefs in luck. They involve denying the unpredictability of random events: "I haven't rolled a seven all week, so I'll definitely roll one tonight".

Luck is consistent with random walk probability theory.[citation needed] As an essence[edit] Maneki-neko with Seven Lucky gods.There is also a series of spiritual, or supern atural beliefs regarding fortune. These beliefs vary widely from one to another, but most agree that luck can be influenced through spiritual means by performin g certain rituals or by avoiding certain circumstances. Luck can also be a belief in an organization of fortunate and unfortunate events . Luck is a form of superstition which is interpreted differently by different i ndividuals. Carl Jung coined the term synchronicity, which he described as "a me aningful coincidence". Abrahamic religions believe God controls future events; belief in luck or fate i s criticised in Book of Isaiah chapter 65, verses 11-12: What will happen to you for offering food and wine to the gods you call good luc k and fate? Your luck will end. Belief in the extent of Divine Providence varies; most acknowledge providence as at least a partial, if not complete influence on luck. Christianity, in its ear ly development, accommodated many traditional practices which at different times , accepted omens and practiced forms of ritual sacrifice in order to divine the will of their supreme being or to influence divine favoritism. The concepts of " Divine Grace" or "Blessing" as they are described by believers closely resemble what is referred to as "luck" by others. Mesoamerican religions, such as the Aztecs, Mayans and Incas, had particularly s trong beliefs regarding the relationship between rituals and the gods, which cou ld in a similar sense to Abrahamic religions be called luck or providence. In th ese cultures, human sacrifice (both of willing volunteers and captured enemies), as well as self-sacrifice by means of bloodletting, could possibly be seen as a way to propitiate the gods and earn favor for the city offering the sacrifice. An alternative interpretation[9] would be that the sacrificial blood was conside red as a necessary element for the gods to maintain the proper working order of the universe, in the same way that oil would be applied to an automobile to keep it working as designed. Many traditional African practices, such as voodoo and hoodoo, have a strong bel ief in superstition. Some of these religions include a belief that third parties can influence an individual's luck. Shamans and witches are both respected and feared, based on their ability to cause good or bad fortune for those in village s near them. As a self-fulfilling prophecy[edit]Some encourage the belief in luck as a false idea, but which may produce positive thinking, and alter one's responses for the better. Others, like Jean-Paul Sartre and Sigmund Freud, feel a belief in luck has more to do with a locus of control for events in one's life, and the subsequ ent escape from personal responsibility. According to this theory, one who ascri bes their travails to "bad luck" will be found upon close examination to be livi ng risky lifestyles. In personality psychology, people reliably differ from each other depending on four key aspects: beliefs in luck, rejection of luck, being lucky, and being unlucky.[10] People who believe in good luck are more optimisti c, more satisfied with their lives, and have better moods.[10] If "good" and "ba d" events occur at random to everyone, believers in good luck will experience a net gain in their fortunes, and vice versa for believers in bad luck. This is cl early likely to be self-reinforcing. Thus, a belief in good luck may actually be an adaptive meme. Social aspects[edit] Wheel of fortune as depicted in Sebastian Brant`s book, author Albrecht DrerLuck

is an important factor in many aspects of society. Games[edit]A game may depend on luck rather than skill or effort. For example, C hess does not involve any random factors such as throwing dice, while Dominoes h as the "luck of the draw" when selecting tiles. In Poker, especially games with a communal board, pure luck may decide a winning hand. Luck in games involving c hance is defined as the change in a player's equity after a random event such as a die roll or card draw.[11] Luck is positive (good luck) if the player's posit ion is improved and negative (bad luck) if it is worsened. Players who consisten tly get the best hand, which either wins or a worse hand which draws to better, is said to "run good". There is, currently, no academic research as to explain h ow some profitable players who ascribe their profitability to a mix of probabili ty and chance understand luck in the game. In Baseball, it's unusual for the bes t team in the league to win the World Series. By several measures, the 2005 Chic ago White Sox were one of the luckiest World Series winners in modern baseball h istory, winning as many as nine extra games due to chance. Experts from statisti cians to oddsmakers say chance plays an unusually big part in the game, partly b ecause play is spread out over such a large area. The game's complexity is also relevant: The scoring value of a base hit, for instance, depends largely on fact ors outside the hitter's control namely the ability of the previous batters to get on base. Lotteries[edit]Many countries have a national lottery. Individual views of the c hance of winning, and what it might mean to win, are largely expressed by statem ents about luck. For example, the winner was "just lucky" meaning they contribut ed no skill or effort. Means of resolving issues[edit]"Leaving it to chance" is a way of resolving issu es. For example, flipping a coin at the start of a sporting event may determine who goes first. Numerology[edit]Main article: Numerology Most cultures consider some numbers to be lucky or unlucky. This is found to be particularly strong in Asian cultures, where the obtaining of "lucky" telephone numbers, automobile license plate numbers, and household addresses are actively sought, sometimes at great monetary expense. Numerology, as it relates to luck, is closer to an art than to a science, yet numerologists, astrologists or psychi cs may disagree. It is interrelated to astrology, and to some degree to parapsyc hology and spirituality and is based on converting virtually anything material i nto a pure number, using that number in an attempt to detect something meaningfu l about reality, and trying to predict or calculate the future based on lucky nu mbers. Numerology is folkloric by nature and started when humans first learned t o count. Through human history it was, and still is, practiced by many cultures of the world from traditional fortune-telling to on-line psychic reading. See: Triskaidekaphobia. Science[edit]Different thinkers like Thomas Kuhn have discussed the role of chan ce in scientific discoveries. Richard Wiseman did a ten-year scientific study in to the nature of luck that has revealed that, to a large extent, people make the ir own good and bad fortune. His researched revealed that "Lucky people generate their own good fortune via four basic principles. They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their in tuition, create self-fulfilling prohesies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good."[12] Researchers have su ggested that good luck and good mood often co-occur (Duong & Ohtsuka, 2000)[13] and that lucky people are happy and optimistic whereas unlucky people feel anxio us and depressed (Day & Maltby, 2003; Wiseman, 2003).[12][14] Although previous studies have explored the antecedences and consequences of luc

k using attribution theory (e. g., Fischoff, 1976; Weiner et al., 1987),[15][16] personality variables (Darke & Freedman, 1997a;b),[17] and more recently a cogn itive priming approach (DeMarree et al., 2005; Kramer & Block, 2008) research on the underlying mechanism of how luck influences consumer judgment and behavior has been noticeably absent in the extant literature. Moreover, in much of this p revious work, luck is manipulated in a way that is very likely to elicit positiv e affect as well. Thus, it is difficult to articulate whether the observed effec ts of luck are due to chronic beliefs about luck, temporary changes in how lucky people feel, or because of changes caused by the positive affect that is experi enced. Their research showed that priming participants subliminally with luck-re lated stimuli made them feel luckier and happier. It was also found that the eff ects of priming luck using subliminal messages increased participants' estimates of the likelihood of favorable events, their participation in lotteries, the am ount of money they invested in relatively risky financial options and these effe cts appeared to be mediated by temporary changes in perceptions of luck rather t han by affect).[18][19] In religion and mythology[edit]Buddhism[edit]Gautama Buddha, the founder of Budd hism, taught his followers not to believe in luck. The view which was taught by Gautama Buddha states that all things which happen must have a cause, either mat erial or spiritual, and do not occur due to luck, chance or fate. The idea of mo ral causality, karma (Pali: kamma), is central in Buddhism. In the Sutta Nipata, the Buddha is recorded as having said the following about selling luck: Whereas some religious men, while living of food provided by the faithful make t heir living by such low arts, such wrong means of livelihood as palmistry, divin ing by signs, interpreting dreams ... bringing good or bad luck ... invoking the goodness of luck ... picking the lucky site for a building, the monk Gautama re frains from such low arts, such wrong means of livelihood. D.I, 9 12[20] However belief in luck is prevalent in many predominantly Buddhist countries. In Thailand, Buddhists may wear verses (takrut) or lucky amulets which have been b lessed by monks for protection against harm.[21] Hinduism[edit] A Rangoli design.In Hinduism it is said that by proper worship, with a meticulou s prayer procedure (Sanskrit: Shri Lakshmi Sahasranam Pujan Vidhi) the blessings of Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of money and fortune, may be obtained. Lakshmi Pa rayan (prayer) is performed in most Hindu homes on the day of Diwali, the festiv al of lights. At that time also Rangoli are drawn, decorative designs on floors of living rooms and courtyards during Hindu festivals that are meant as a sacred welcoming area for the luck. Islam[edit]There is no concept of luck in Islam other than actions determined by Allah based on the merit of the choice made by human beings. It is stated in th e Qur'an (Sura: Adh-Dhariyat (The Wind that Scatter) verse:22) that one's susten ance is pre-determined in heaven when the Lord says: "And in the heaven is your provision and that which ye are promised." However, one should supplicate toward s Allah to better one's life rather than hold faith in un-Islamic acts such as u sing "lucky charms". However, in Arabic language there is a word which directly means "luck", which is ?? ?a??, and a word for "lucky", ????? ma??u?. The Tunisians retain some native beliefs of Berber origin such as the evil eye.[ 22] A number of practices, such as shutters painted blue are also used to repel evil spirits.[23] See also[edit]Chance (disambiguation) Jinx List of lucky symbols

Probability Self-fulfilling prophecy Serendipity References[edit]1.^ "Fortuna". The Obscure Goddess Online Directory. Retrieved 2 011-05-13. 2.^ Elbow Room by Daniel Clement Dennett, p. 92. "We know it would be superstiti ous to believe that "there actually is such a thing as luck" - something a rabbi ts' foot might bring - but we nevertheless think there is an unsuperstitious and unmisleading way of characterizing events and properties as merely lucky." 3.^ Luck: the brilliant randomness of everyday life p. 32. "Luck accordingly inv olves three things: (1) a beneficiary or maleficiary, (2) a development that is benign (positive) or malign (negative) from the stand point of the interests of the affected individual, and that, moreover, (3) is fortuitous (unexpected, chan cy, unforeseeable.)" 4.^ CHANCE News 4.15 ...the definition in the Oxford English dictionary: "the fo rtuitous happening of an event favorable or unfavorable to the interest of a per son" 5.^ Luck: the brilliant randomness of everyday life p. 28. "Luck is a matter of having something good or bad happen that lies outside the horizon of effective f oreseeability." 6.^ Luck: the brilliant randomness of everyday life p. 32. "Luck thus always inc orporates a normative element of good or bad: someone must be affected positivel y or negatively by an event before its realization can properly be called lucky. " 7.^ Luck: the brilliant randomness of everyday life p. 32. ..."that as a far as the affected person is concerned, the outcome came about "by accident." " 8.^ Sumit Kumar Sirkar, Pothi (2010). "How to be Lucky and Successful in Life". Pothi.com. p. 5. Retrieved 2012-10-04. 9.^ Burland, C. A (1985.). The Aztecs: gods and fate in ancient Mexico. London: Orbis Publishing. 10.^ a b Maltby, J., Day, L., Gill, P., Colley, A., Wood, A.M. (2008). Beliefs a round luck: Confirming the empirical conceptualization of beliefs around luck an d the development of the Darke and Freedman beliefs around luck scale Personalit y and Individual Differences, 45, 655 660. 11.^ Zare, Douglas. "A Measure of Luck". Retrieved 12 June 2013. 12.^ a b Wiseman, R. (2003). The luck factor. London, UK: Random House. 13.^ Duong, T.,&Ohtsuka,K. (2000). TheVietnamese-language SouthOaksGambling Scre en for the Australian context. In J. McMillen, & L. Laker (Eds.), Developing str ategic alliances: Proceedings of the 9th National Association for Gambling Studi es Conference, Gold Coast, Queensland 1999 (pp. 161-171). Kew, Australia: The Na tional Association for Gambling Studies. 14.^ Wiseman, R., & Watt, C. (2004). Measuring superstitious belief: Why lucky c harms matter. Personality and Individual Differences, 37, 1533-1541. 15.^ Fischoff, B. (1976). Attribution theory and judgment under uncertainty. In J. H. Harvey, W. J. Ickes, & R. F. Kidd (Eds.), New directions in attribution re search (Vol. 1, 421-452). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. 16.^ Weiner, B., Frieze, I., Kukla, A., Reed, L., Rest, S., & Rosenbaum, R. M.(1 987). Perceiving the causes of success and failure. In Edward E. Jones,David E. Kanouse, Harold H. Kelley, Richard E. Nisbett, Stuart Valins, & Bernard Weiner ( Eds.), Attribution: Perceiving the causes of behaviors pp. 95-120). Hillsdale, N J: Lawrence Erlbaum. 17.^ Darke, P. R., & Freedman, J. L. (1997a). The belief in good luck scale. Jou rnal of Research in Personality, 2, 486-511. 18.^ DeMarree, K. G., Wheeler, S. C., & Petty, R. E. (2005). Priming a new ident ity: Self-monitoringmoderates the effects of nonself primes on self-judgments an d behavior. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 89(5), 657-671. 19.^ Kramer, T., & Block, L. (2008). Conscious and non-conscious components of s uperstitious beliefs in judgment and decision making. Journal of Consumer Resear ch, 34(6), 783-793. 20.^ "A Basic Buddhism Guide: Good Luck and Fate". Buddhanet.net. Retrieved 2011

-05-13. 21.^ Thai Amulets (2007-02-09). "Thai Amulets". Thailand Life. Retrieved 2011-05 -13. 22.^ "La Tunisie de A Z, Khomsa". Saisons tunisiennes. Retrieved September 10, 2 009. 23.^ Pags, Jean-Louis (2005). Tunisie-Plus (in French). Limoges: d. Solilang. p. 3 3. [hide]v t eSuperstitions Main topics Amulet Evil eye Luck Omen Talismans Lists List of lucky symbols Sailors' superstitions Theatrical superstitions Africa Buda Gris-gris Sampy Sleeping child Americas Ascalapha odorata Carranca Curupira Djucu Fortune cookie I'noGo tied Witch wi ndow Asia South me Baddoor Jackal's y syndrome

Asia Superstitions of India Superstition in Pakistan Bhoot (ghost) Chash Chhaupadi Churel Ghosts in Bengali culture Grease devil Hindu milk miracle horn Miracle Chapati Muhurta Navaratna Nazar battu Pichal Peri Puppy pregnan Swastika Sweet seawater incident

Japan Japanese superstitions Akabeko Kanai Anzen Maneki-neko Okiagari-koboshi Omamori Philippines Agimat Albularyo Barang Kulam Lihi Pagtatawas Pasma Usog Thailand Kuman thong Palad khik Takrut Other Anti-Superstition Movement (Korea) Curse of 39 Jin Chan Numbers in Chinese cu lture Russian traditions and superstitions Superstitions of Malaysian Chinese Europe Blarney Stone Cimaruta Cornicello Goodman's Croft Kitchen witch Nazar (amulet) Painted pebbles Rabbit rabbit rabbit Ravens of the Tower of London Spilling water f or luck Troll cross Tycho Brahe days Witch post Wolfssegen

General 11:11 (numerology) 111 (number) 13 (number) 4 (number) 7 (number) Ace of spad es Auspicious wedding date Baseball superstition Bayern-luck Beginner's luck Black ca t Bread and butter Break a leg Chain letter Cooties Cramp-ring Curse Davy Jones' Locke End-of-the-day betting effect Fear of frogs Fear of ghosts First-Foot Flying Dutchma n Four Eleven Forty Four Four-leaf clover Friday the 13th Gambler's conceit Good luck charm Groundhog Day Hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia Himmelsbrief Hour of the wolf Huma n sacrifice Itching ears Klabautermann Jinx Knocking on wood Law of contagion Literoma ncy Lock of hair Maternal impression Miasma theory Mooncalf Need-fire Nelson (cricket) Night air Oscar love curse Penny Powder of sympathy Rabbit's foot Rainmaking The Scot ish Play Seventh son of a seventh son Ship sponsor Shoes on a table Siderism Sign of the horns Something old Spilling salt Susto Tetraphobia The Thirteen Club Thirteenth f loor Three on a match Threshold Triskaidekaphobia Wishing well Witch ball Witching hou r Related topics Apotropaic magic Astrology and science Coincidence Debunker Divinatio n Folk religion Magical thinking Numerology Perceptions of religious imagery in natu ral phenomena Post hoc ergo propter hoc Magic and religion Taboo Traditional medicin e Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Luck&oldid=566756819" Categories: LuckHidden categories: All articles with unsourced statementsArticle s with unsourced statements from September 2011Articles containing Arabic-langua

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