Reason and science have failed to sweep aside these irrational beliefs which continue to thrive. And for good reason, being a little unreasonable is sometimes a sign of wisdom.
Do you hate crossing a black cat or going under a ladder? Are you betting on the virtues of four-leaf clovers and Loto grids completed on Friday the 13th?
Often mocked, these irrational beliefs are nevertheless good. If their ability to influence future events remains questionable, their role in our psychological balance would not be at all negligible, say specialists.
Even more scared!
Because you feel like Thursday brings bad luck to you, have you decided not to make an appointment for that day? Well-founded or not, this decision at least allows you to stay perfectly relaxed the other days, convinced that nothing bad can happen to you then.
Herein lies one of the main merits of superstition: it gives us the opportunity to control our environment, to take advantage of the unpredictability of life by introducing a dose of logic, however illusory.
It is a magnificent creation of individuals and societies to manage the fear of the world. It makes it possible to tame anxiety, to fix the danger on a single object and to ensure that it is avoided by practicing certain rites. Instead of feeling diffuse anxiety, we focus it.
Sesame, protect me!
Like children who say “thumbs up” when the game turns sour, we hold on to our magical thoughts when we need to. They are like talismans that soothe us and protect us in times of doubt, crisis, or even danger.
Family spirit, are you there?
No question, for a sailor, to pronounce the word rabbit or, for an actor, to wear green on stage. Formerly embarked as food during long crossings, rabbits would have caused many shipwrecks by gnawing the ropes.
While in the Middle Ages, actors’ costumes were dyed green with copper oxide, a noxious chemical compound that is said to have caused a lot of poisoning. These remnants of the distant past are part of folklore.
In these professions particularly exposed to danger or stress, they represent rituals of belonging, codes to be integrated in order to be part of the family. That of high-level sport is also particularly famous for its picturesque little routines: Laurent Blanc kissed the bald head of his goalkeeper Fabien Barthez before each whistle at the start of the match; Zinédine Zidane always put on his sock and his left shoe before doing the same on the right…
Superstitions help reduce the uncertainty (the risk of injury, defeat…) linked to the sporting situation, at the same time as they allow an emotional control of the sportsmen.
Must have faith!
Luck smiles… on those who believe in it. A specialist proved it with a round of golf, reported in a 2018 study published in Psychological Science.
The volunteers had to pull off a rather delicate blow. Some of the players (80% of whom believed in lucky charms) were entitled to a “lucky golf ball”; the other half had to settle for a “normal” ball to accomplish the same task.
Result: The participants hitting the lucky ball performed better than the others. For the specialist, people who rely on their lucky charm are more confident in life… and therefore more efficient. Anyone who puts on their favorite panties on an important date has already experienced it: when they feel more confident, they perform more.
