The We Society S10 Ep1: 'I’m not psychic, just very lucky!' With Professor Richard Wiseman
Mar 4, 2026
Professor Richard Wiseman, psychology professor and bestselling researcher of luck, humour and magic. He recalls becoming a magician, explains how lucky people create opportunities, describes quick psychological boosts and a worldwide joke study. He also shows how magic teaches life skills and why pragmatic optimism helps resilience.
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Grandfather's Coin Trick Sparked A Career
- Richard Wiseman learned magic aged eight after his grandfather challenged him to find a book in the library that revealed a coin trick secret.
- His grandfather later gave him a physical “secret something” that still sits in his drawer and launched his lifelong fascination with magic.
Luck Emerges From Mindset And Behavior
- Wiseman found lucky and unlucky people differ psychologically rather than metaphysically, with luck partly created by thought and behavior.
- He recruited ~1,000 exceptionally lucky/unlucky people and tracked decade-long differences like openness, intuition, optimism, and resilience.
Openness Lets You See Hidden Opportunities
- Lucky people notice opportunities because they stay open and flexible rather than tunnel-focused on a single plan.
- In a newspaper experiment, unlucky participants missed half-page offers while lucky ones stopped to claim potential rewards.
