What is lucky girl syndrome? Latest TikTok trend explained - and does it work

When it comes to keeping up with TikTok trends, it can be difficult to stay in the loop due to the ever evolving lingo used on the app. The latest trend that has been taking over the platform is the concept of “lucky girl syndrome”.

If you have absolutely no idea what lucky girl syndrome means, then not to worry - this is everything you need to know.

What is lucky girl syndrome?

In short, lucky girl syndrome is essentially a form of manifestation - it’s the belief that by taking part in daily affirmations that you can bring good fortune and opportunity into your life.

On TikTok, the #LuckyGirlSyndrome hashtag has racked up over 130 million views, and has seen users sharing their affirmations, which go along the lines of “I am so lucky”, “things just always work out for me” and “I always get what I want”.

In a video with over 50l views, TikTok user Tamanna (@tamkaur_) explains: “Lucky girl syndrome is the way forward! If you don’t know what it is or how to do it, then you’re in the right place. This is the best trend to ever exist on TikTok because it’s finally making manifestation easy to understand and accessible for so many people.

“So what is it? Lucky girl syndrome is believing that you’re the luckiest girl in the world. Everything you want is already on its way to you and the universe is literally rigged in your favour.”

She continues: “Affirmations - I use my vision board to help me with this. You can use a vision board or even just a list on your notes app of all of your goals. You need to look at your vision board or your list of goals every single day for at least a minute, and during this minute while you’re soaking up all of those images of your dream lifestyle, you’re going to affirm its reality.

“You’re going to take in all of those goals that you’ve mapped out and envision it coming into your real life.”

Tamanna gives the example that, if you have a bunch of money goals written down, then your affirmation would be something like: “I’m a money magnet”, “I am financially stable”, “Money just flows to me”.

Does it work?

At the end of the day, it likely depends on what you’re looking to gain from manifestations and lucky girl syndrome.

On the one hand, positive thinking and feeling confident will likely yield the desired results in some circumstances, however that could just be a side effect of “confirmation bias”, says Dr Carolyn Keenan, a psychologist.

Speaking to the BBC, Dr Keenan said to imagine that you’re going for a job interview - if you tell yourself that you’re unprepared for it and you’re not going to get it, then you’ll likely notice the signs that fit those expectations, like not being able to answer a question effectively, or the interviewer looking unimpressed or uninterested.

On the other hand, Dr Keenan said: “I go in thinking, “I know exactly what’s going to happen here, I’m gonna nail this interview, I’m definitely gonna get this job. I’m then seeing people nodding away. That’s the stuff I’m going to be attending to, because that’s the stuff that supports my belief.”

She added: “There are going to be, unfortunately, some situations in life that we are not able to manifest and think our way out of. I would be concerned about people living in situations where maybe that’s not going to be an effective strategy.”

Speaking to Dazed Digital, Abdullah Boulad, a behavioural specialist and founder of The Balance, a luxury rehab centre and mental health clinic, said: “It has been demonstrated that positive thinking stimulates brain areas related to pleasure, social connection, and self-control. Additionally, it can lessen the amygdala’s activity, which is what causes stress and worry. But when used as a coping mechanism for dealing with unpleasant emotions or the harsh realities of life, positive thinking can become toxic.”

He continued: “This may result in a lack of self-awareness, unreasonable expectations, and disillusionment. It is crucial to recognise and deal with unpleasant feelings and circumstances while also looking for and concentrating on the positives in order to strike a balance between applying the law of assumption and avoiding ‘poisonous positivity’.

Boulad explained that it’s important to remember that positive thinking has its limitations.

“You need to be open to various approaches to problems. Lucky girl syndrome may result in a failure to take responsibility for one’s actions and a propensity to downplay or avoid unfavourable facts,” he said.