Creating our own luck

I was never a great student of science. To be fair, I had some good moments in biology, with its imperfect theories and gray areas on subjects like evolution and heredity, but I never mastered the strict precision of chemistry or physics. My mind, which gravitates toward the intangible, steers clear of fierce exactitude. Which is why I laugh at the popularity of scientific studies that tackle immeasurable phenomena, like happiness and — my new favorite — luck.

Richard Wiseman, a university professor based in the United Kingdom, has been studying lucky and unlucky people for 10 years, trying to discover the root cause of good luck. Through his experiments, he has narrowed it down to three factors: Lucky people have more of a big-picture approach to life; those with good luck go to great lengths to introduce variety into their lives; and lucky people tend to have a larger social network than consistently unlucky people.

The last one, in the world of dating, has huge implications. According to an article Mr. Wiseman wrote for Forbes.com, he tested his theory using a technique employed by Malcolm Gladwell in his book "The Tipping Point." Mr. Wiseman, like Mr. Gladwell before him, gave a list of 15 common last names to his test subjects, both lucky and unlucky. He asked the participants to mark the names that belonged to people with whom they were on a first-name basis. The difference between the lucky and unlucky participants was significant. Almost half of the lucky participants selected eight or more names, whereas only a quarter of unlucky individuals checked more than eight names. Thus, says Mr. Wiseman, lucky people often have more "chance" encounters. They meet someone at a party and discover they have a friend in common. This leads to additional sales leads, greater job opportunities, and even more dates.

How does this study translate to better love lives? When I was young(er) and (more) single, I read an article about a woman who used her social network to find love. She drafted an e-mail with a subject head-

ing that read "Find Me a Husband" and sent it to all of her friends, encouraging them to send it on to other friends in other networks. The woman received hundreds of replies, from friends of friends of friends, people she had never met but nevertheless had a brother, a neighbor or a son to recommend. The result? Her social calendar was soon full, and in less than six months, she was engaged.

After reading the article, I took the message to heart and launched my own "Find Me a Date" campaign. I told my co-workers, my roommates, and my friends about my mission. True, I went on a lot of awkward coffee dates and one or two painful dinners, but in less than four weeks, I had a new, wonderful boyfriend.

Looking back on that time, I always thought how lucky I was. Now I realize it's possible to create our own luck in love.

Contact Artis

>>Send your dating tips, questions, and disasters to: sandydays@floridaweekly.com