“The absence of control over an important outcome creates anxiety. So, even when we know on a rational level that there is no magic, superstitions can be maintained by their emotional benefit.”
Stuart Vyse
Millions of people in China think that the color red or the number 8 will bring them wealth and happiness. Many students in the U.S. rely on good luck charms for better academic performance. Knocking on wood, throwing salt, or spitting presumably counteract the jinx. Many of us admit to knocking on wood when we feel that we’ve tempted fate. Sometimes superstitions can have a soothing effect which relieves anxiety about the
unknown and gives us a sense of control over our lives. This is the fascinating thing about superstitions. It lets us believe in them despite knowing, on some level, that they can’t be true. Sometimes they truly improve our performance by giving the false sense of having control over outer conditions.
How do they all begin and why some of them are universal? Let’s learn more and speak about it.
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