Abstract
There has been initial evidence to support the Dysexecutive Luck hypothesis, which proposes that beliefs in being unlucky are associated with deficits in executive functioning (Maltby et al., 2013). The present study tested the Dysexecutive Luck hypothesis by examining whether deficits in the early stage of top down attentional control led to an increase of neural activity in later stages of response related selection process among those who thought themselves to be unlucky. Individuals with these beliefs were compared to a control group using an Event-Related Potential (ERP) measure assessing underlying neural activity of semantic inhibition while completing a Stroop test. Results showed stronger main interference effects in the former group, via greater reaction times and a more negative distributed scalp late ERP component during incongruent trials in the time window of 450–780 ms post stimulus onset. Further, less efficient maintenance of task set among the former group was associated with greater late ERP response-related activation to compensate for the lack of top-down attentional control. These findings provide electrophysiological evidence to support the Dysexecutive Luck hypothesis.
Highlights
Estimations of the prevalence of beliefs about luck in the general population are as follows: 50% of people consider themselves lucky, 36% consider themselves neither lucky nor unlucky, and the remaining 14% consider themselves to be unlucky (Wiseman, Harris & Middleton, 1994)
The first finding, consistent with Maltby et al (2013), was that ‘unlucky’ individuals performed poorly on the Stroop test and experienced higher interference main effects when compared to the control group
The interference effect differences between groups are of great importance since it has been emphasized that the overall Stroop effect is not enough for an accurate conflict measure; it is necessary to have a comparison to a baseline neutral condition
Summary
Estimations of the prevalence of beliefs about luck in the general population are as follows: 50% of people consider themselves lucky, 36% consider themselves neither lucky nor unlucky, and the remaining 14% consider themselves to be unlucky (Wiseman, Harris & Middleton, 1994). The most prominent theory within the psychological literature on beliefs around luck is irrational belief theory, which forms part of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (Ellis, 1994). According to this theory, beliefs around luck reflect absolute beliefs about the world, where many aspects of life are attributable to chance. A more recent distinction has been made between a perception of being lucky (belief in good luck) and the perception of being unlucky (belief in bad luck) (Darke & Freedman, 1997), with the latter being found to be associated with emotional distress, in terms of both hedonic and eudaimonic well-being (Maltby et al, 2008).
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
