Why Do We Believe In Superstitions?

Imagine this: It's Friday the 13th, and you find yourself avoiding black cats, stepping over cracks, and steering clear of mirrors—all in the name of avoiding bad luck. But why do these seemingly irrational behaviors hold such sway over us? What drives our minds to cling to beliefs that defy reason and evidence?

Superstitions, ranging from avoiding ladders to fearing the number 13, are present across manycultures around the globe, demonstrating an interesting way our minds strive to cope with life's uncertainties. But what exactly are superstitions, and why do they play such a significant role in human behaviour?

Superstitions are beliefs or practices that lack a rational basis or scientific proof but are held by people as a means to influence future events, ward off bad luck, or attract good fortune [1]. These beliefs often stem from traditional cultural practices and are passed on through generations.

They are usually linked to an idea that one’s actions can directly influence unrelated outcomes through supernatural means. Common examples including the ones presented earlier, range from avoiding to walk under a ladder, carrying a rabbit's foot for good luck, to throwing salt over one’s shoulder after spilling it to prevent bad luck.

Historical Roots

The historical roots of superstitions are as varied and complex as the cultures from which they come from. Many superstitions have ancient origins and were often initially based on religious beliefs that attempted to make sense of the natural and spiritual world. In this time, humans faced many inexplicable natural phenomena and life events, from weather patterns to diseases, and superstitions provided a form of explanation or control.

For instance, in ancient Rome, priests known as augurs interpreted the will of the gods by studying the flight patterns of birds [2]. This practice influenced major political and military decisions. The belief that omens could be read from natural occurrences pervaded Roman society and contributed to the culture’s understanding of fate and fortune.

Cultural Roots

Culturally, superstitions are reinforced by practices and rituals passed down through generations, serving to strengthen bonds within communities. For example, many Japanese superstitions involve numbers; the number four is avoided because it sounds like the word for "death" (shi). Hence, this number is commonly seen to be avoided in daily life, similar to the avoidance of the number 13 in Western cultures.

In medieval Europe, the superstition that a black cat crossing your path was bad luck likely stemmed from the association of cats with witches and magic in European folklore [2]. Over time, this belief was integrated into broader cultural narratives about good and evil, influencing people's reactions to these animals.

Superstitions Today

Superstitions often survive because they are endorsed by societal norms and sometimes even by institutions. Many sports teams and athletes, for example, adhere to specific rituals or wear particular items for good luck, practices that are often publicly visible and can influence the beliefs of fans and young athletes.

Similarly, in modern times, despite an increase in scientific understanding, superstitions persist because they fulfill psychological and emotional needs [3]. They provide comfort in the face of uncertainty and are a means for people to feel control over the uncontrollable. This emotional and psychological reinforcement ensures their survival, even in an age of science.

The Psychology of Superstitions

Understanding why people cling to these seemingly illogical beliefs involves exploring several key aspects of psychology including cognitive biases and cognitive dissonance [4].

One of the primary psychological foundations of superstitions is rooted in cognitive biases; systematic errors in thinking that affect the decisions and judgments we make. These include:

➢ Confirmation bias: This bias leads people to notice and remember information that confirms their preexisting beliefs and ignore or forget information that contradicts them. For example, a person who believes in the bad luck of Friday the 13th may recall every bad thing that happens on that day while overlooking the numerous other days when bad things happen.

➢ Availability Heuristic: This mental shortcut occurs when people estimate the likelihood of an event based on how easily an example can be recalled. Consequently, if a negative event happens after a recognized superstition is ignored (like walking under a ladder), this incident becomes highly memorable, reinforcing the superstition.

➢ Illusory Correlation: This involves perceiving a relationship between two independent items even when no such relationship exists. For example, believing that a lucky charm improves performance because one performed well on a test while using it, despite no causal link between the charm and the outcome.

Superstitions also highlight the concept of cognitive dissonance, where conflicting beliefs lead to psychological discomfort. A person may intellectually acknowledge that superstitions are scientifically unfounded but still feel emotionally compelled by them. Resolving this dissonance usually involves rationalizing the superstition rather than abandoning it, due to the deep emotional and psychological comfort it provides.

Theories Aiming to Explain Superstitions

While the psychology of superstitions focuses on the cognitive processes discussed above, theories explaining superstitions aim to understand how these beliefs originate, what functions they serve, and how they are maintained. Two of the key theories that delve into the psychological origins of superstitions are Control Theory and Compensatory Control Theory.

Both theories suggest that superstitions serve as mechanisms to deal with uncertainty and lack of control, but they approach this idea from slightly different angles [5].

Control Theory:

This theory in the context of superstitions suggests that superstitious beliefs come from a desire to have influence over our environment and the outcomes. Having a sense of control around our environment may decrease the anxiety of uncertainty and increase confidence in our performance. People may know on a rational level that their actions are unlikely to affect outcomes in a direct, physical way, but the emotional comfort derived from these rituals can be real and significant.

For example, a baseball player might develop a ritual of tapping his bat on the ground three times before swinging. Even though this action has no direct effect on the physics of hitting the ball, the ritual gives the player a sense of control over his performance, potentially reducing performance anxiety and increasing focus.

Compensatory Control Theory:

This theory expands on the idea of Control Theory and adds that in addition to providing a sense of control, there is also a compensatory component for the lack of control in other areas of life.Essentially, when people feel that they are not in control of important aspects of their lives (such as health, career, relationships), they may be more likely to adopt superstitious beliefs as a compensatory mechanism. An example of this can be seen in gambling, where people are faced with games of chance that they cannot control.

Many gamblers embrace superstitious behaviors (such as blowing on dice, wearing a lucky shirt, or carrying a lucky charm) to gain a sense of control over the largely random outcomes of the games.

 

Concerns with Superstitious Beliefs

While superstitions can offer psychological comfort and a sense of control, they also raise concerns and skepticism, particularly when they influence decision-making or lead to maladaptive behaviors.

Superstitions often hinge on causal fallacies—mistaken beliefs that one event causes another when they are not scientifically linked [6]. This can lead to several problematic outcomes:

➢ Misallocation of resources: Superstitions might lead individuals or groups to invest time and money in rituals or products that do not actually influence outcomes. For example, businesses choosing auspicious days for product launches or individuals purchasing costly amulets or participating in expensive rituals that promise to ward off bad luck.

➢ Risk-Taking and Safety: Relying on superstitions can sometimes endanger health and safety. For instance, a belief in the healing powers of certain rituals or objects might dissuade someone from seeking necessary medical treatment.

➢ Psychological Dependency: Superstitions can create dependencies that limit individual autonomy and resilience. When people attribute success or failure to external forces rather than their own actions, they may feel less capable and less motivated to address challenges directly.

➢ Stigmatization and Discrimination: Certain superstitions can lead to social exclusion or discrimination. For example, superstitions surrounding certain numbers, animals, or cultural beliefs can result in irrational fears and avoidance behaviors that unfairly stigmatize individuals or groups.

Clearly, while superstitions can give us a sense of control in a chaotic world, they can just as easily lead us to make mistakes as those outlines above. By understanding our psychological tendencies and where the stories we believe in came from, we can respect superstitions' historical importance while ensuring our beliefs help us thrive in a knowledge-driven world.

Sources Used

1. Vyse, S. (2020). The psychology of superstition. (Oxford, 2020; online edn, Oxford Academic). https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780198819257.003.0005

2. Riess, E. (1895). On Ancient Superstition. Transactions of the American PhilologicalAssociation (1869-1896), 26, 40–55. https://doi.org/10.2307/2935693

3. Marmor, J. (1956). Some observations on superstition in contemporary life. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 26(1), 119–130. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1939-0025.1956.tb06161.x

4. Willard, A. K., & Norenzayan, A. (2013). Cognitive biases explain religious belief, paranormal belief and belief in life’s purpose. Cognition 129, 379-391. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2013.07.016

5. Liu, C., & Liao, J. (2022). Superstition makes you less deontological: Explaining the moral function of superstition by compensatory control theory. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 14(2), 273.

6. Rudski, J. (2004). The illusion of control, superstitious belief, and optimism. Current Psychology, 22, 306-315.