Regression to the Mean—After Extremes, L

Regression to the Mean—After Extremes, Life Will Eventually Return to Ordinariness

 

Have you ever had such experiences? You're suddenly blessed with good luck—winning a free milk tea, hitting the jackpot in a lottery, or getting high praise from your boss at work. You feel like the luckiest person in the world, as if good fortune will linger around you forever. But before long, life settles back into ordinariness, and you might even encounter a few small setbacks, leaving you feeling downcast. Or perhaps you've fallen into a period of extreme pain—career setbacks, a broken relationship, or health scares—thinking your life has hit rock bottom and you'll never recover. Yet as time passes, the pain eases, and life gradually returns to peace. This is life's "regression to the mean" principle—all extreme states, whether good or bad, will eventually drift back toward the middle ground.

 

"Regression to the mean" is a statistical concept, but it profoundly reveals the essence of life. Take, for example, someone who becomes an overnight sensation with a viral project, gaining massive attention and followers in a short time and becoming a "internet celebrity" or "expert" in others' eyes. However, without consistent content creation or continuous self-improvement, this popularity will inevitably fade. People's sense of novelty is limited; when new trends emerge and more talented individuals appear, those past moments of glory will gradually be forgotten, eventually returning to an ordinary state. This is not cruelty—it's the norm of life. No one can stay in the spotlight forever, nor can anyone enjoy flowers and applause indefinitely.

 

Life's hardships and pains also follow the law of regression to the mean. Everyone encounters bottlenecks: stagnation at work despite efforts, constant conflicts in relationships that make you doubt the future, or being overwhelmed by trivialities that trigger self-doubt. Such extreme pain feels like falling into an abyss with no hope in sight. But as long as you don't give up and are willing to change—adjusting your direction in time and filling in your skill gaps—you'll slowly find the pain easing and the difficulties lifting. Just as no matter how cold winter is, spring will always come; no matter how long the night lasts, dawn will eventually break.

 

Regression to the mean teaches us not to be dazzled by temporary success, nor crushed by short-term hardships. The highlights of good times are like shooting stars across the night sky—brilliant but fleeting. If you become complacent and stagnant because of a moment's success, you're likely to face a rapid decline. Conversely, the extreme pain of adversity is like a violent storm—ferocious but short-lived. If you sink into despair and give up because of a moment's failure, you'll miss the rainbow that comes after the rain.

 

In real life, we often become fixated on extreme states. We crave permanent good luck and success, and fear setbacks and pain. But it's this fixation that makes us anxious and vulnerable. When we understand the principle of regression to the mean, we can face life's ups and downs with a calmer mindset. In good times, cherish the luck while accumulating strength to prepare for potential downturns. In bad times, accept the pain while patiently biding your time and storing energy for a future recovery.

 

Life is like a wave—with crests come troughs, with rises come falls. All extreme states are just temporary stops; eventually, life will return to ordinary. Ordinariness is not mediocrity—it's a stable and peaceful state of life. In ordinary days, we can slowly accumulate strength, appreciate the small joys in life, and continuously improve ourselves. When we learn to persist and grow in ordinariness, we won't be swayed by temporary gains or losses, and can face every twist and turn in life with a more composed and resilient attitude.

 

Regression to the mean is the inevitable path of life. Accept ordinariness, embrace it, and accumulate strength within it—and you'll walk more steadily and farther on your life's journey.