On September 13, 2019, the Contemporary Medical News website (www.medicalnewstoday.com) published an article titled "How does superstition affect our psychology and well-being?". The article said that today is Friday, the 13th, and many people will avoid engaging in daily business because they are worried that this day will bring them "evil luck". Not only airlines and airports will jump to the No. 13 boarding port, more than 80% of high-level buildings in the world do not have 13 layers. Moreover, some hotels and hospitals do not have wards No. 13. Most people know that these beliefs are unreasonable, but people still follow them. Research has found that this is because people who do this are often "comfortable" from it.
Superstition is quite common in the United Statesstatistics show that one in four American adults think they are like this. Recent data show that young people are more superstitious than older people. 70% of American students trust their better learning to the weather. Through the Spotlight function of contemporary medical news websites, researchers have studied the psychological mechanism behind superstitious thinking.
Some readers said, "My mother has a lot of superstitions." She cannot walk under the ladder, put new shoes on the table, even if it is put in a box, can't break the mirror, can't provide money packs without money. If she had some salt on the outside, sprinkle a little salt on her left shoulder. Some readers think: "Some of them are just common sayings, such as not destroying lenses, which may damage themselves by the benefit of fragments. But they are transformed into a set of rules, usually without obvious reasons."
Some readers think life is a series of random coincidences that cannot be shaped by these strange little habits, but it is reassuring that mothers have some control over it. Some readers explain: Sometimes life is terrible, so people do their best to avoid potential dangers.
A person who spoke with contemporary medical news and asked to be anonymous revealed that they must "set up at least 10 warnings every night while muttering some reassuring words." Otherwise, something vicious will happen in their lives. "I can't stop setting the alarm until I feel at ease, even though I'm 50." In fact, I sometimes think it's a good thing, a way to keep myself mentally correct.
However, some duplicate behaviors may indicate serious illnesses, such as obsessive-force disorder (OCD). Another person who was interviewed by contemporary medical news said, "To me, superstition has penetrated into obsessive-minded disorder." When he gets stuck in obsessive-minded disorder, he will do superstitious thinking, believing that doing something will make something happen or not. "I want to wear the right tits, otherwise my mother will die. To me, superstition can be harmful, which shows that I'm not doing well."
Research believes that superstition is an example of "forced reaction", and includes "over-washing hands, habitual bathing or rehabilitation, checking behavior, re-reading texts and hoarding behaviors. Many researchers point out that superstition and obsessive disorder use different brain regions. Nevertheless, obsessive disorder and superstition still have many contiguous characteristics, such as expressing verses to counter injuries.
In addition, some researchers define superstition as "a suitable method of trying to obtain control in uncertain situations." Forced behavior is a suitable for bad behavior, and its purpose is to prevent or reduce anxiety related to obsessive disorder. However, although there seems to be a connection between superstition and obsessive-mindedness, there are differences in the various research results that address this connection.
Superstition provides psychological benefitsThe article says that Stuart Vyse is the author of "Believe in Magic: Superstitious Psychology" and was also a psychology professor at Connecticut University. He explained when interviewed by the British Psychology Association: "Certifications show that superstition that is positive and elevated in sports provides psychological benefits and can improve performance."
Interest is related to various events that cause superstition, because not controlling an important result can cause anxiety. Therefore, even if people know at a rational level that there is no magic, superstition can be maintained through their emotional interests. "Absolutely, a study that examined the performance of "playing golf, sports agility, memory and verbal games" found that making hand or saying words such as "Happy Joy" improved the performance of participants.
The author believes that this mechanism is realized by increasing self-confidence. "Activating superstition can enhance participants' confidence in mastering the tasks that are coming, thereby improving performance." He said: "Once you know the existence of superstition, people want to change their fate through superstition."
He wrote an example of a locked letter, which is well-known among American journalists. "Many journalists know this is a matter of saying, but they also want to make a copy of the letter and send it to change their fate," the researchers said. However, copying the letter is also a popular choice because it is very cheap compared to potential results. Compared with various disasters (wealth, work and life losses"), the price of sending letters is actually too small.