Mark Robert Rank, Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis
With low-scoring games and a preponderance of deflected shots, randomness is much more likely to color NHL teams’ records than those of squads in the other four major US pro sports leagues.
A sociologist unpacks how common superstitions like fear of 13 can gain steam.
Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to Russia’s commissioner for entrepreneurs’ rights during a meeting in the Kremlin in Moscow on May 26, 2022.
(Mikhail Metzel, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russia’s war in Ukraine calls for drawing a line between power and luck. Putin, who was widely considered among the most powerful people in the world, may have been simply lucky.
Kevin Durant is one of the NBA players who shows the ability to go on hot streaks.
AP Photo/Seth Wenig
Neil Levy, Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
Some people seem born lucky. Everything they touch turns to gold. Others are dogged by misfortune. It’s not just people who might be lucky or unlucky – it can be single acts. When the ball hits a post…