The first customer predicts good business.
A broken mirror may bring bad luck.
Giving shoes as a gift will make your partner run away.
If your eyes are twitching, you may meet an old friend or long-lost relative.
Seeing a black cat cross your path is a bad omen.
When you sneeze, it means someone is thinking of you.
Most of us have heard these and countless other sayings throughout our lives. Whether it’s from our grandparents or parents or other older or young adults, they have more or less been a part of our existence. We have also noticed the innumerable behaviours that people engage in to ward off the effects of such phrases coming true. These kinds of sayings are labelled as superstitions and they are defined as, “irrational beliefs in the significance or magical efficacy of certain objects or events (e.g., omens, lucky charms) or a custom or act based on such beliefs.” In simpler terms, superstitions are wrong ideas about the external reality. As an attitude, superstitions can be understood from affective, cognitive and behavioural components.
- Emotional Aspects: Feelings ranging from fear and apprehension to joy and delight.
- Cognitive Aspects: Conceptualization, assimilation, strategic planning.
- Behavioural Aspects: Engagement in rituals to avoid accidents or facilitate desired behaviours for self or loved ones.
Why do people believe in superstitions?
We all live in a world of uncertainty – an inescapable part of our existence. The most critical events of our lives are unpredictable and occur unexpectedly. While some manage to cope with this skillfully – often drawn to the thrill – others find it crippling. Most of us manage to survive the unpredictable and uncontrollable aspects of our lives by avoiding the risks we can avoid and finding ways to cope with those that we cannot. One way to cope with stress and uncertainty is through superstitious beliefs and actions. Let’s dive into why people engage in superstitious behaviour!
Performance
Superstitious beliefs may directly translate into observable performance through the increase in perceived self-efficacy – people’s belief in their own capabilities to succeed in particular situations. Believing in good luck and lucky charms has been linked to people being more hopeful, optimistic and confident. These characteristics are also some of the most important and consistent predictors of successful outcomes. Therefore, good-luck associated superstitions help in increasing chances of success on challenging tasks through heightened levels of self-efficacy.
Need for control
In challenging times, superstitious thinking provides an illusion of control over uncontrollable outer circumstances. It can have a soothing effect on one’s anxiety about the unknown and provide a sense of dominance. Therefore, those who believe life to be unpredictable often cling to superstitious strategies as a coping mechanism. Moreover, when attempts to change outcomes of certain situations have failed, individuals may resort to luck or the presence of other higher, powerful beings to alleviate their discomfort and gain control over their conditions.
Avoid Tempting Fate
People employ superstitions that apply in order to not tempt fate i.e. bring about calamities by not abiding by the superstition. Moreover, indulging in superstitious actions bear little costs in comparison to their alleged catastrophic outcomes. For instance, knocking on wood after commenting on one’s good health for years is a very small price to pay for the potentially devastating consequences of serious illness. Such superstitions (such as carrying a lucky charm, avoiding the number 13) often appeal to people because their advantages outweigh their disadvantages and therefore, they persist through generations.
Confirmation Bias
Confirmation bias is the tendency of our minds to favor information that validates our existing beliefs. For example: Some people deem certain clothing items as lucky and continue to wear them on important occasions to increase their chances of success – lucky shirts for interviews; lucky seats for football matches. People continue to believe these superstitions even when the evidence goes against it (i.e. not receiving the job despite wearing a lucky shirt or the football team losing the match despite you sitting in the lucky chair). In such cases, people often dismiss these errors by rationalizing or finding excuses (such as ‘it only works if I wear my lucky shirt and eat potato chips’ or ‘one of the main players was injured so this doesn’t count’).
Superstitions, while irrational on the surface, serve deep psychological purposes—from offering comfort in uncertainty to enhancing confidence in performance. Rooted in emotional responses, cognitive patterns, and behavioral rituals, they help individuals navigate a world full of unpredictability. Whether as coping mechanisms or inherited cultural traditions, these beliefs persist not because they are logically sound, but because they fulfill human needs for control, hope, and meaning in times of doubt.
Photo Credits:
First image: freepik
Second image: freepik
References
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). APA Dictionary of Psychology. https://dictionary.apa.org/superstition
Damisch, L., Stoberock, B., & Mussweiler, T. (2010). Keep your fingers crossed! How superstition improves performance. Psychological science, 21(7), 1014-1020.
Faiza, A. (2018). Social and psychological factors for Superstition: A Brief literature review. International Journal of Advance Study and Research Work, 1(5), 81.
Lasikiewicz, N., & Teo, W. Y. (2018). The effect of superstitious thinking on psychosocial stress responses and perceived task performance. Asian journal of social psychology, 21(1-2), 32-41.
Risen, J. L. (2016). Believing what we do not believe: Acquiescence to superstitious beliefs and other powerful intuitions. Psychological review, 123(2), 182.
Sandoiu, A. (2019). How do superstitions affect our psychology and well-being? Medical News Today. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326330#Superstitions-and-OCD-A-complex-link
Vyse, S. A. (2013). Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition – Updated Edition. Oxford University Press: New York, NY.
Sakshi
About the author
Sakshi is a clinical psychologist with a deep passion for understanding human behavior, a strong drive for research, and a keen eye for psychological intricacies. Committed to continuous learning, she seeks to explore every facet of psychology, from theory to practice, to better support and empower individuals. With a curiosity that fuels her pursuit of knowledge, she strives to bridge the gap between research and real-world applications, making psychology more accessible and impactful.
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