Asophomore slump (also known as asophomore jinx orsophomore jitters) is when asophomore fails to live up to the relatively high standards that occurred duringfreshman year.
It is commonly used to refer to the apathy of students (second year of high school, college or university),[1][2] the performance of athletes (second season of play), singers/bands (second album),[3] television shows (second seasons), films and video games (sequels/prequels).
In the United Kingdom, the "sophomore slump" is more commonly referred to as "second year blues", particularly when describing university students. In Australia, it is known as "second year syndrome", and is particularly common when referring to professional athletes who have a mediocre second season following a stellar debut.[4]
The phenomenon of a "sophomore slump" can be explained psychologically, where earlier success has a reducing effect on the subsequent effort, but it can also be explained statistically, as an effect of theregression towards the mean, in which an outlier case is followed by a case closer to the average.[5][6]
In the world of music, there is a common phenomenon known as thesophomore album curse/syndrome, where newly popular artists often struggle to replicate their initial success with their second album,[7] which is often characterized by struggles in changing musical style. Artists such asBilly Bragg (Talking with the Taxman About Poetry),[8]Dr. Strangely Strange,Black Reindeer,Roddy Ricch (Live Life Fast),[9]M2M (The Big Room) andJack Harlow (Come Home the Kids Miss You)[10] have referenced the effect in their respective album titles and artwork. Americanindie rock bandGrandaddy used adouble entendre for their second album, titledThe Sophtware Slump.
InEnglish football,second season syndrome is the phrase that is used to describe a downturn in fortunes for afootball club in its second season after its promotion to thePremier League, particularly if the first season after promotion had brought a strong finish.[11] Similar phrases are known in other countries as well: In Germany for example, a common phrase is that "the second year is the most difficult one" ("das zweite Jahr ist das schwerste Jahr"), referencing situations in which a team stayed in their new league in the first year after promotion but struggling to save the league the year after.