The Psychology of Superstition

Though we’ve come far as a civilization with the help of science, most of us still believe in Friday the 13th. They’ve even made an entire film series on it. Most of us still associate black cats with witches and dark magic, even as a joke. I’m even writing this on a 13th, thankfully a Saturday, but why do we indulge in such baseless beliefs at all?

Well firstly, the main driving force of it is to gain a sense of control. Humans look for order in chaos, we assign laws and rules to things we cannot comprehend. In simpler terms, we look for control in inexplicable situations. Most people who believe in superstitions have anxiety, paranoia, or just plain uncertainty in their lives. Despite having no scientific proof, a large part of the population believes in the horoscope and looks for stars to assign themselves a role.

However it is recommended not to believe in such a delusion because there is no way the alignment of the stars is going to tell you whether or not you will meet Taylor Swift next Wednesday. (By the way, I’m an Aquarius so I know what I’m talking about.) The reason why superstitions persist to this day despite no evidence being provided that they are true is because it is a form of escapeism as a way to lessen anxiety for people.

There is also something known as the placebo effect, meaning if you think something is going to happen it just might. This term has become more popular with the recent emergence of manifesting and subliminals, belief is a strong power. Superstitions have a very real psychological effect, for example when you carry a lucky charm to an exam and do well in it despite previously assuming that you WILL fail, it can have a positive effect the next time you take it for an exam you will be relieved of anxiety and be filled with positive thoughts. But if you lose this charm, it may even hinder your performance as your anxiety increases.

There are obviously many negative aspects of superstitions as well, such as the Japanese belief that the number 4 being related to death. That’s right, it’s time to look out for any 4-year-old children and stay safe. The reason behind this belief is that both the number and the word have the same pronunciation, “shi”. This belief is so strong that in some cases the Japanese use “yon” for the number rather than “shi” to avoid associating it with death in certain contexts. Some hospitals and buildings are completely void of floors and rooms with number 4. I, too, believe in this conception as I referred to this superstition in the fifth paragraph rather than the fourth to avoid a stroke of bad luck (I have exams coming up).

Intelligence has very little to do with superstition, as even Harvard students would rub the foot of the statue of John Harvard for good luck. It has more to do with being assured of yourself and how much control you have over yourself and your life, further proving that most people who believe in superstitions are prone to anxiety. Statistics show that women believe in superstitions more than men, this is because even in today’s society, women have less control over their lives.

Most superstitions people believe in are completely fine, and do not persist to be compulsive. So to test that theory, I’m placing an ancient curse on all those who have read this article, it’s now up to you whether or not you want to believe in it. Have a wonderful week if you can.

ꚱꚥꚦꛣꚫꛘꚳꚡꚱꛖꚫꛝꛜꛗ꛰ꚺꚬꚾꚠꚨꛜꛕꛈꛘꛆꚬꚣꛣꛕꛉꚣꛇꛒꚨꚣꚾꚸꛆꚱꚼꛠꛊꛜꛌꛕꚹꛃꛇꛓꛋꛝꛋꛝꚽꛇꚤꛅꚩꛇꚴꛃꚻꚾꛃꛡꛢꚻꛝꛝꚥꛣꛈꛗꚬꚣꚮꛊꚺꛌꛋꚻꛎꛓꛢꛆꚼꚮꚥꚱꛌꛘꛘꛊ ኃጢአተኛ ነፍስህ ከድነት በላይ ነው እናም ሰላምን እና ህመምንም አታውቅም ፣ ብቸኛው የባዶነት ቅዝቃዜ ብቻ ነው የንስሐ ጊዜ ተጠናቅቋል ፣ ምክንያቱም ጥፋቶችህ በክፉ ዓይነትህ ከማንኛውም ተልእኮ ይበልጣሉ መጨረሻ꛳

If you happen to trip within the next few hours, Blame the Author Visishta Kameshvari