Many events in life are as hard to explain as simple coincidences. What may seem like a unique experience to one person could actually be a common occurrence for many others. For example, when a series of unfortunate events happens at once, we often hear the response, "That's just the way it is." Interestingly, these phenomena aren't just random.They can often be explained by specific laws. In this Mystery section, Pharos will explore five different types of coincidences we experience in daily life and their names.

 One of the most famous laws is “Murphy's Law.” It means, "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong." Many of us have experienced situations where, once things start going wrong, everything seems to fall apart. On important days, we often encounter unexpected mistakes, or when handling urgent tasks, unexpected variables seemto pop up.

 On the other hand, “Sally's Law” explains the phenomenon where only good things seem to happen in a row. It suggests that lucky people continue to experience good things, and when things start going well, a positive flow tends to follow. For example, on a day when you randomly experience a small stroke of luck in the morning, you might find that pleasant things keep happening throughout the day.

 One law related to how tasks progress is “Parkinson's Law.” It states, "Work expands to fill the time available for its completion." This law suggests that the more time you have, the longer the task tends to take. If there's no set deadline, tasks often get dragged out, and you may find that a project you thought you had plenty of time for ends up being rushed at the last minute.

 Another principle is “Occam's Razor,” which suggests that we should look at complex problems in a simpler way. When there are multiple complicated hypotheses, the simplest explanation is often the most likely. For example, if your smartphone suddenly stops working, it may be more effective to first check if the battery is dead, rather than immediately suspecting a complex technical issue.

 Finally, there's a law that seems to apply every time we're looking for something. “Lynch's Law” explains the experience of always finding the item you're searching for in the last place you look. It's when something you urgently need seems impossible to find, only to be discovered in the most unexpected place.

 As we’ve seen, events we once thought were simple coincidences actually follow specific patterns, and there are various laws that explain them. Perhaps these laws stem from our subconscious psychological processes. By understanding these laws, we might be able to handle unexpected situations with a bit more ease and composure.

Planning & Marketing Editor • LEE CHAE EUN • leechaeeun0318@naver.com