Can The TikTok-Viral Lucky Girl Syndrome Really Change Your Fortune?

From voluntary celibacy to the vanilla girl lifestyle, TikTok is home to an assortment of ever-changing lifestyle trends. While many of the fads that become popular on the app are lighthearted and fun, there are just as many trends that are swiftly followed by backlash and controversy. Recently, "lucky girl syndrome" is one topic that has sparked contention, with some swearing by the concept while others condemn it.

Since going viral on the app, thousands of TikToks have appeared under the hashtag #luckygirlsyndrome, with a video from @skzzolno seemingly showing the positive effects of the outlook. If you're unaware, @stellarmagazine breaks down what lucky girl syndrome is, explaining that it's a form of manifestation that works on the law of assumption. Citing affirmations ranging from "I am so lucky" to "things always work out for me," TikTokers claim that repeating these mantras has drastically improved their lives.

Based on this premise, you might wonder if you should also be cashing in on this so-called syndrome. Before jumping into affirmations, check out the potential science behind this habit and what some people have against it.

If you've witnessed the lucky girl syndrome hype on TikTok, then you're likely wondering if the practice actually works. Going by many of the popular videos on the trend's hashtag, this manifestation-based habit provides quick results. For example, @notalissagomez mentions that the day after she started lucky girl affirmations, she unexpectedly received a $300 check in the mail.

For skeptics, this testimony and many others like it will be hard to trust alone, but there is actually some science behind the practice that could potentially explain the positive results users have been experiencing. Life coach and TikTok user @coachrachelleindra discusses this in a video, linking lucky girl syndrome to the reticular activating system, a component of the brain that sorts information. Accordingly, your mindset can alter what information this part of the brain focuses on, causing you to laser in on either negative or positive things.

This idea is echoed by CNET, which connects how lucky girl syndrome functions to elements of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a treatment type that targets negative thinking patterns and learned behaviors. In this way, it's possible that lucky girl syndrome may work by improving outlook and perspective rather than by actually changing the material world.

While many TikTokers are gushing about lucky girl syndrome, the trend isn't without its share of naysayers, with some users pointing out its unexamined implications and harmful ideas. For example, @awakenedmomlife mentions that lucky girl syndrome doesn't accurately consider the role white privilege plays in the so-called luck being experienced by many of these women. Additionally, this user emphasizes the negative impact that such a mindset can have on those who've suffered from mental illness or trauma, the effects of which can't be simply addressed with affirming proclamations about luck. She states, "For trauma survivors, it implies that we're not working hard enough... that there's something wrong with us."

Many TikTokers point out lucky girl syndrome's connection to new-age spiritualism, accusing the trend of repackaging controversial ideologies to appeal to a younger audience. According to @melodywritessongs, the underlying implications of the practice feed into extreme and problematic concepts that posit individuals as responsible for the negative things in their lives. They also mention the narcissistic aspect of this trend, pointing out that it rejects ideas of community and exclusively focuses on the perceived rights of the practitioner.