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 the regression towards the mean, in which an outlier case is followed by a case closer to the average.
Artists such as Billy Bragg (Talking with the Taxman About Poetry),[8] Dr. Strangely Strange, Black Reindeer, Roddy Ricch (Live Life Fast),[9] and Jack Harlow (Come Home the Kids Miss You)[10] have referenced the effect in their respective album titles and artwork.
American indie rock band Grandaddy used a double entendre for their second album, titled The Sophtware Slump.