Rowley Associates

Are you superstitious? Do you wear a good luck charm or, like many famous athletes have a piece of clothing that acts as a talisman to ward off misfortune- perhaps you think charms, rituals and totems are ridiculous? Well maybe its time to think again.  Research to be published in June suggests belief in good luck can, and does impact performance.

Using a relatively small sample of 28 students, psychologists from Cologne University found that participants who were told they were playing with a “lucky ball” sank 6.4 putts out of 10, nearly two more putts, on average, than those who weren’t told the ball was lucky. The researchers conclude that believing in your good fortune can help, but only in situations where it you can directly affect the outcome.

So, is it time to find that lucky charm, or perhaps you need to tell members of your team the pen you just gave them will increase revenue by 12%. Good luck with that.