Superstitions have long been part of human society. Researchers have taken an interest in exploring this enduring belief to unearth its psychology behind lucky charms and rituals.
Superstitions offer people an escape from an uncertain and precarious existence by giving them some sense of control and comfort when confronted by chance.
Superstitions are a form of coping
Superstitions can be invaluable coping mechanisms in an uncertain world, offering some form of control and increasing confidence levels over uncontrollable events, comfort in traumatic situations and assisting individuals to manage fear and anxiety more effectively.
Superstitions arise from our early intuition that life is full of patterns and meaning. Research has demonstrated that individuals who believe more strongly in fate or chance tend to be more superstitious; additionally they also tend to externalize control more.
Superstitions often stem from illusory correlation, or our tendency to see connections between unrelated events that don’t actually exist. This cognitive bias plays a key role in why superstitions persist even though they don’t make sense; but it should be noted that superstitions can have positive outcomes as well, such as building your confidence before an important event.
They offer the illusion of control
Belief that lucky charms or rituals can influence events is common even among nonsuperstitious people, known as the illusion of control. This psychological phenomenon has real world consequences – whether flipping coins or casting votes, having this feeling of control gives comfort and confidence to those taking part in them.
Researchers are still investigating where children develop ideas of luck; however, it seems likely they’re influenced by interactions with peers and stories in books. Children’s storybooks frequently use luck as an explanation for events or use its supernatural causal force as an explanation for actions or feelings; additionally these narratives often combine luck with beliefs regarding physical (such as effort), psychological and sociological causes – this suggests their frame can alter children’s understandings of luck and lucky objects.
They boost confidence
Lucky charms and rituals have long been thought to help improve performance, yet scientists still do not fully comprehend how. One theory holds that they may increase confidence levels and alleviate anxiety so people can focus on the task at hand; another suggests they increase expectations and persistence which in turn improve performance; however more research must be completed in order to validate either hypothesis.
Psychologer Lysann Damisch, who conducts studies on luck and superstition, asserts that people who carry lucky objects feel more confident about their abilities to succeed. Golf players who bring good-luck charms perform better as the charms help reduce anxiety while making them believe they have a higher likelihood of succeeding.
Students often bring lucky charms or engage in rituals that aim to boost their performances when taking exams, including wearing specific colors or numbers and saying certain numbers or phrases repeatedly during examinations, walking along certain routes to reach the examination room, etc.
They boost performance
Researchers have observed that engaging in seemingly irrational thoughts and behaviors such as crossing fingers or wearing red can improve performance, perhaps through the placebo effect – where people’s beliefs directly impact outcomes. However, it must be remembered that luck charms cannot replace hard work or skill development.
Richard Wiseman has conducted multiple experiments that demonstrate how people who consider themselves lucky tend to be more open to new experiences, more optimistic about their prospects, and have lower anxiety levels – qualities which, according to him, make it easier for them to recognize and seize opportunities more quickly.
Psychological Science published a recent study which demonstrated that when participants brought their lucky charms with them to tasks, their performance improved compared to those who didn’t. This is likely because having something special as their lucky charm can increase confidence and self-efficacy levels while aiding focus more effectively and making decisions which increase chances of success.
