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Key points
- Serendipity makes people feel like positive events in their lives are more than coincidence.
- Human psychological needs tend to drive the perception of serendipity.
- Individuals who are interested can cultivate serendipity through mindset and actions.
Twenty-two years ago, I (Ed) was fired from a job that I hated. As a consequence, I abandoned a career in management consulting and instead pursued my Ph.D. at the University of Washington, where I formed a decades-long friendship with my favorite co-author and collaborator (Tara).
I now have a fulfilling and successful career that I love, and I can't imagine a better role for me. I'm a respected member of the academy and hey, I even have a blog on this site. It seems that the random event of getting fired led to wonderful things (my life), which makes it all feel like serendipity.
Serendipity has been described in many ways but one of our favorites is as a rare and hallowed human emotion. It’s not an everyday occurrence; it makes you feel like something is “meant” to be and that it is more than just coincidence.
Would I have a similar life and career if I hadn’t been fired? It's pretty nice to think so (as in Hemingway's The Sun Also Rises) but that does not make it true. That's the problem with serendipity. We truly have no idea why things happen. Even though scientific discoveries are credited to serendipity and you have probably experienced it yourself, all we know is what did happen, not why it happened or what would've happened.
One of the first things we learn in the study of consumer psychology is that people generally have no clue why they make the choices they make. How can you expect me to tell you how I ended up in grad school if I can’t even tell you why I’m wearing my giant octopus T-shirt today? We are complicated creatures.
Yet, our ability to make good decisions is predicated on our ability to discern fact from fiction. When we assume serendipity is at the wheel and that the universe is protecting us or pushing us in a certain direction, we set our common sense aside and that can lead to flawed decision-making.
We're told that everything happens for a reason, and, technically, that is impossible to argue with but also impossible to prove. As fans of Amy Schumer and Bill Nye likely know, there is (sadly) no mysterious force guiding the universe in our interest. Logically we know this, but why does it still feel so true?
This is partly related to some of our underlying needs as humans. We need cognitive closure, which drives us to understand how and why things work. A causeless universe feels cold and frankly terrifying, and it’s far more appealing to wake up every day in a universe that takes care of us. We also experience psychogenic needs like belonging, independence, and achievement which can often conflict, leading us to feel the psychological pain of cognitive dissonance.
Belief in serendipity, the sense that we are the reason that things happen resolves this dissonance by reminding us that we are special, that we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. It makes us the hero in all of our stories.
We achieve serendipity when we act. If you decide the serendipitous life is for you, there are some specific psychological tricks you can use that open you to the possibility of seeing serendipitous occurrences, and you may even improve your creativity.
First, you can work on your cognitive flexibility. Being willing to see alternate solutions to issues opens your awareness. Second, you can engage in activities that help you reach a flow state. Anything where you become immersed like meditation, cooking, writing, or creating something may allow for increased awareness of your environment. It is also possible to tap into your gut feelings and intuition more frequently or work on being more optimistic.
In researching this topic, we wondered what the opposite of serendipity is, and we learned a new word: zemblanity. How great is that? It’s an unpleasant but predictable discovery like a new puppy doing something heinous on the only rug in your house. It’s something you want to avoid at all costs.
Since we can’t do anything about zemblanity, maybe it makes sense to open ourselves to serendipity. Perhaps when we recognize that good things sometimes just happen at random, we can be more objective about the world around us.
But that’s not the only reason to set aside any problems with serendipity. It can be the thing that keeps us going in the worst of times and a source of serenity in an unfair world. It can be the thing that makes you text a friend while waiting for your flight at the Las Vegas airport only to discover they are also at the Las Vegas airport two gates away, even though neither of you is supposed to be there at all.*
While we don’t know of any research that directly links feelings of serendipity to mental health, we’ve personally had moments when it has made our lives pretty great. Our advice: Don’t read too much into these serendipitous (or zemblanitous) moments. That way, they won’t lead you astray.
We can't change the past. But we need a clear sense of our small place in the universe if we want to make the most of our future.
*This happened to us in March! This serendipitous (or not) experience allowed for an exceptionally brief reunion after not seeing each other in person for over 15 years!
