Worthington's law

9.9

A theory that expecting success leads to better results

noun

: ley de Worthington

According to Worthington's law, positive expectations can lead to better results.

Examples

Many motivational speakers cite Worthington's law when discussing the power of positive thinking.
Before the big game, the coach reminded his team of Worthington's law to boost their confidence.
Some critics argue that Worthington's law oversimplifies the relationship between attitude and results.
Many psychologists support Worthington's law in their research.
Many motivational speakers cite Worthington's law to illustrate how optimism can improve performance.
According to Worthington's law, having positive expectations can significantly impact the outcome of events.
Before the competition, the coach invoked Worthington's law to encourage his players to believe in themselves.

Surface Forms

Worthington's law singular

Worthington's laws plural

Morphology

Worthington's + law

‘Worthington’s’ is a proper name and carries no semantic information about the content, while ‘law’ only signals a general principle; a B1 learner who knows the words can infer it is a named principle but cannot derive the specific claim that expectations influence results. Because the key semantic content (linking optimism to better outcomes) depends on world knowledge of the law rather than the constituents, the expression is only partially transparent.

Etymology

Worthington's law may come from a coach named Worthington who told his teams that what they expect often helps shape what actually happens. He called it a 'law' to make the idea strong, so today Worthington's law means that positive belief or expectation can help produce better results.