Shooting Stars and Wishes: How to Make a Wish That Might Actually Come True, According to Psychology

In the night between August 12 and 13, the Perseid meteor shower will grace the sky with one of the most spectacular celestial displays of the year. Thanks to the New Moon, the conditions will be ideal for stargazing, with several dozen meteors visible per hour under a clear sky. Each summer, many people take this opportunity to engage in an age-old ritual: spotting a shooting star, closing their eyes, and making a wish. This act is often performed without genuine belief in its power. After all, how many of us truly think that a speck of dust from a comet will drastically alter our fate? So why do we continue to make wishes? Psychology offers a surprising answer. The true power of a wish lies not in the cosmos but in how our brains transform a vague desire into a tangible possibility for action.

The Enduring Ritual of Making Wishes

Making a wish is a paradoxical act. We know it holds no magical power, yet this ritual persists across generations and cultures. Psychologists are intrigued not by the superstition itself but by our ongoing need to ritualize certain moments in our lives.

Rituals often emerge in times of uncertainty: during exams, competitions, periods of grief, significant encounters, or even when witnessing a shooting star. They provide a sense of stability and control, even if they do not influence the events at hand. In essence, making a wish is not merely an act of believing in magic; it can also be a symbolic way to reclaim agency over a future we cannot fully control.

What a Wish Reveals About Our Present

It is common to think that a wish speaks to our future. However, it primarily reflects our current lives. Why is this the case? Because a shooting star lasts only a few seconds, leaving no time to weigh options or craft socially acceptable responses. Our brains instinctively focus on what is most prominent in our minds.

Thus, the first wish that comes to mind is not always the most rational; it is often the most vivid. Some of the most frequently expressed wishes include:

• "I wish to finally change jobs."
• "I wish to have a child."
• "I wish to reconnect with that person."
• "I wish to find more peace."
• "I wish to find love."
• "I wish for my family to be healthy."

These thoughts often existed prior to the meteor shower. The ritual does not create them; it merely brings them to the forefront. Making a wish allows us to pause the noise of daily life and recognize what truly matters.

The Trap of Believing That Dreaming Is Enough

However, psychology warns against a common misconception. For a long time, people believed that merely imagining a happy future was sufficient to increase the likelihood of its realization. Research by psychologist Gabriele Oettingen tells a much more nuanced story. Her studies indicate that individuals who only fantasized about their success were not the ones most likely to achieve their goals. In fact, simply envisioning the outcome can provide psychological satisfaction, which paradoxically may decrease the motivation needed to take action.

In other words, our brains can become so satisfied with the imagined reward that we may ease off before even making an initial effort. Thus, it is not the act of making a wish that is problematic; it is stopping there.

Turning a Wish into a Plan

To overcome this impasse, Gabriele Oettingen developed a well-known motivational psychology method called WOOP. Its principle is straightforward:

• Start with the wish (Wish).
• Imagine how its realization would concretely change your life (Outcome).
• Identify the obstacle (Obstacle) — not an external barrier but one that resides within us (lack of confidence, fear of failure, perfectionism).
• Finally, create a detailed plan (Plan).

For example: If I hesitate before submitting this job application, I will submit it by 6 PM regardless. This type of action plan, known as an "if... then..." strategy, helps the brain anticipate obstacles rather than succumb to them.

Research shows that this approach facilitates taking action by reducing the amount of decision-making required in the moment.

The Importance of the Moment Over the Wish

Observing the Perseids often evokes a unique emotion: the sense of confronting something vast. Psychologists refer to this feeling as awe. This emotion has the power to shift our perspective. For a few moments, our concerns diminish, our attention broadens, and we become more open to different viewpoints.

Perhaps this is precisely why shooting stars are conducive to making wishes. They create a pause — a moment where we stop meeting others' expectations and listen to what truly inspires us. So, if you look up at the sky on the night of August 12-13, make a wish. But don’t just wonder if it will come true. Instead, ask yourself why that particular wish came to mind first. Psychology suggests that the most important question is not, "What do you wish for?" but rather, "What are you willing to do, starting tomorrow, to ensure that this wish stops being just a wish?" Ultimately, shooting stars may not change our fate, but they can illuminate something far more valuable: the moment when a desire becomes clear enough to transform into a decision.