Written by: Lily Rudd, Intern
🎵 Taylor Swift on Karma:
“Cause karma is my boyfriend
Karma is a god
Karma is the breeze in my hair on the weekend
Karma’s a relaxing thought
Aren’t you envious that for you it’s not?” (Swift, 2022)
📊 What the Research Says
Psychologists have found that most individuals perceive karma as positively benefiting themselves and negatively affecting others (White et al., 2025).
Negative karmic events recalled:
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47% about themselves
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53% about others
Positive karmic events recalled:
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64% about themselves
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36% about others
When asked if they experience more positive karma than average → most said yes (White et al., 2025).
🧠 Two Psychology Terms That Explain It
1️⃣ Self-Serving Bias
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People perceive themselves as more moral than others.
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Negative outcomes in their lives → external causes.
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Negative outcomes in others’ lives → internal causes.
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In karmic terms:
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Bad things happen to me = bad luck.
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Bad things happen to others = bad karma from wrongdoing.
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2️⃣ Belief in a Just World
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Life is unpredictable and unfair.
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People seek logical reasons for misfortune (e.g., victim-blaming).
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Karma offers cause and effect:
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Do good → be rewarded.
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Do bad → be punished.
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This sense of logic and control is a very relaxing thought (White et al., 2025).
🌏 Cultural Differences
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Karma comes from Asian religious traditions like Buddhism and Hinduism.
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Indian & Singaporean respondents → less self-enhancing bias than Western respondents.
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Across all countries → bias in favor of self still appears.
💭 One has to wonder… would karma view these responses favorably?
📚 Works Cited
White, J.M., C., C.H. Lauder, A., Aryaie, M. (2025). Karma rewards me and punishes you: self-other divergences in karmic beliefs. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality – American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000565
Swift, T. (2022). Karma [Song]. On Midnights. Republic Records.