TikTok: ‘Lucky Girl Syndrome’: The latest example of toxic positivity on TikTok | Society
“On ‘Lucky Girl Syndrome’ you just believe you’re the happiest person ever, and you become it. And that’s because we apply the law of assumption, which is what you believe to be true becomes your reality.” Here’s how TikToker @hothighpriesses explains a phenomenon she’s popularized herself (by posting online workshops on this topic sold) and which has taken TikTok by storm in recent weeks.
“Since I started, opportunities have fallen into my lap,” explains another user. “It wasn’t until I started believing that great things would always happen to me that it all worked,” she added. Aira, a Spanish TikToker, tried to put a scientific spin on it by talking about the reticular activation system, a bundle of nerves in our brainstem that filters out unnecessary information so the important stuff gets through.
TikTok is full of people talking about how this has worked for them (they got new jobs, bought a house, got a raise, or even won bets), while others try to debunk the whole concept or offer ideas on how you can apply it. to be fundamental “Happiest Girl Alive” requires you to “manifest” your desires by writing them down in your phone’s Notes app or, if you have more time and a creative streak, create a vision board on a billboard with photos representing your goals . Also, according to other TikTokers, there’s no harm in keeping a “gratitude journal” to thank the universe for all the gifts, just to be on the safe side.
A popular way to become a happy girl is known as Manifestation 369, which requires you to write a wish three times in the morning, six times at noon, and nine times before bed. Another technique is the 55×5; To do this, you have to write your wish 55 times a day for five consecutive days. Some people keep it simple and just tweet or TikTok video to officially document what they want, while others turn to manifestation coaches like Kristen Jenna, an influencer who founded a “manifestation academy” in 2019. Or Marissa Moon, who takes herself as an example: Through the manifestation of money – she explains in her numerous channels – she was able to quit her corporate job and now lives in Bali, where she helps her clients to achieve the same.
A variation on a theme
At its core, Lucky Girl Syndrome is a variation on a practice that has been popular for some time: the idea of manifesting positive things by thinking about them vehemently. Philosophers like Ralph Waldo Emerson have introduced the concept into their work in the form of so-called “rules of attraction,” and in recent decades this unconditional positivity has found fertile ground in pop culture, whether in bestsellers like Rhonda Byrne’s The secret (which was made into a mass phenomenon by Oprah and featured in shows like Sex and the City) or through the so-called positive thinking industry. Perhaps what sets Lucky Girl Syndrome apart from the rest is its pragmatic approach. “I started joking about how hot I was instead of joking about how ugly I was, and now I’m hot,” explained one proponent of the theory without a trace of irony. Another follower said, “The day after I started practicing this method, someone paid for my manicure and I got plane tickets for less than I expected.”
Like previous versions of positive thinking, this current trend seeks to add a scientific layer to the theory. Proponents typically cite neurological studies like those conducted in 2015 and published in the book Social cognitive and affective neurosciencewho proved that positive affirmations activate parts of the brain related to self-awareness. The confirmation bias (the principle that, for example, a pregnant woman sees pregnant women everywhere) is also frequently mentioned. Building on this idea, one comes to believe that thinking about money brings money. These phenomena are part of a concept known as toxic positivity, which draws attention to the fallacy of emphasizing positive thinking and the negative consequences of this trend, such as denial of pain.
Edgar Cabanas, co-author of the book Making Happy Citizens: How the Science and Industry of Happiness Control Our LivesHe believes that this phenomenon is “a form of magical thinking” according to which material things are only a product of the imagination or individual perception. “To think that we can change circumstances, manipulate outcomes, or change ourselves as individuals only by adopting positive thoughts and attitudes, while tempting, is not only misleading but also leads to feelings of guilt, among other things,” he added, ” because when things don’t turn out the way we imagine, we tend to take responsibility for the outcome not being what we wanted or expected. It also creates the false sense that everything that happens is under our control when, fortunately or unfortunately, we are not to wish out of a privileged position than to do so when everything is against you.
While there are men who believe in the practice and women who criticize it, the term lucky girl syndrome is notable. Is the positive thinking industry targeting women and especially young women? Cabanas believes that is no longer the case: “Decades ago, the most spiritual and pseudo-religious self-help focused on a female audience, while corporate self-help focused on a male audience. However, now things have changed. There is no clear gender distinction, it has a universal appeal.”
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