The
Luck Factor
By Dr. Richard
Wiseman
The
Luck Factor rips apart the notion that luck is something that
just happens. Dr. Wiseman reports on over three years of scientific
inquiry into what is often considered the most unscientific topic
of all. However, Dr. Wiseman suggests another reason for the lack
of scientific research into luck:
"The
situation is akin to the old story of the man who knows he dropped
some treasure in one part of the street but searches in another
part because the light is better there."
Dr.
Wiseman's central thesis is that luck can be predicted and therefore
controlled. He offers four "principles of luck", then
explains how we can harness these principles to live luckier lives.
The four principles are:
Maximize your chance opportunities
Listen to your lucky hunches
Expect good fortune
Turn bad luck into good
The
Luck Factor is everything that a psychology book should be.
It details research conducted by the author, as well as research
from numerous other psychologists. Many of the experiments Dr. Wiseman
referenced were already familiar to me, as I had referenced them
in my own book, Climb your Stairway to Heaven: the 9 habits of
maximum happiness.
At the
same time, Dr. Wiseman makes the psychological research completely
accessible to the average reader, both through the use of plain
language and by making his points through quizzes and visual puzzles.
I give
this book a rare ten out of ten, and predict it could be the best
self-help/psychology book of 2003. I can't think of any reason not
to buy this book immediately.
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