x.com/aakashgupta/status/2041545816750567573
1 correction found
Lucky people scored significantly higher on one trait: openness to experience.
Wiseman’s own account of the research does not say openness was the only or singular key trait. He says lucky and unlucky participants differed on three personality dimensions: extroversion, neuroticism, and openness.
Full reasoning
Richard Wiseman’s published summary of his luck research says lucky people used several habits under Principle One, including networking, being relaxed, and being open to new experiences — not that openness was the lone standout trait.
More importantly, an excerpt from The Luck Factor states that when Wiseman compared lucky and unlucky people on the Big Five, the groups "obtained very different scores on the remaining three personality dimensions - Extroversion, Neuroticism and Openness." In other words, his own description says the personality differences were not limited to one trait.
So this post overstates and misstates the finding by collapsing Wiseman’s reported results into a single-trait claim about openness alone.
2 sources
- Luck - Richard Wiseman
This research has involved working with hundreds of exceptionally lucky and unlucky people over a ten-year period... Lucky people are skilled at creating, noticing and acting upon chance opportunities. They do this in various ways, including networking, adopting a relaxed attitude to life and by being open to new experiences.
- The Luck Factor: Change Your Luck - And Change Your Life - AbeBooks excerpt
I compared the personalities of lucky and unlucky people on the five dimensions of personality... The groups did, however, obtain very different scores on the remaining three personality dimensions - Extroversion, Neuroticism and Openness.