by Susan Quilty

Created on: September 20, 2009

A belief in superstitions gives people an illusion of control in an uncertain world. Many superstitions originated at a time when little was known about how the physical world functions. Now established scientific principles were then shrouded in mystery and often thought to be influenced by unseen mythical forces. Yet new superstitions continue to develop even in today's more scientific world.

A superstition is a belief not based on logic or reason. Superstitions often promise to protect someone from harm or affect either their bad or good luck. For example, opening an umbrella in a house leads to bad luck, finding a four leaf clover is good luck, and wearing a special gemstone or crystal will ward off evil. These superstitions have no logical basis, yet they are still followed by millions.

People believe in superstitions because they want to believe in them. They will look for coincidental connections and label them as proof. If a person says, "at least I didn't catch Joey's cold" they might immediately knock on a wooden surface to keep from catching the cold. If they stay healthy they may feel glad that they knocked on wood, even though it had nothing to do with their staying healthy.

Interestingly, a belief in superstitions can actually affect a person's "luck", although what it actually affects is their outlook. Events that are pure chance will not be effected, yet any event that is based on a person's performance can be influenced by their belief in superstitions. In scientific terms, this is known as a placebo effect.

When a superstitious person breaks a mirror (which is supposed to bring seven years of bad luck) he may actually perform poorly on a test, forget their lines during a play, or miss an easy layup during a basketball game. Conversely, carrying a rabbit's foot may give the same person the confidence to do well in all of those areas (if they actually do have the necessary skills).

This is why superstitions are so prevalent among athletes, actors, and students. Some athletes may decide that they have to perform a certain ritual, like turning in three circles before leaving the locker room or wearing a certain pair of lucky socks. Thespians do not wish each other good luck before a play, as that is supposed to have the opposite effect, and instead tell each other to "break a leg".

There are many superstitions that have arisen in every culture. Some superstitions even have opposite meanings in different countries. In the United States, both black cats and the number 13 are unlucky. Yet black cats are lucky in Britain and the number 13 is lucky in Italy.

Though superstitions have some interesting background stories and can have a placebo affect on those that believe in them, they all come back to a matter of control. People want to have control over the events in their lives. They will believe in many strange ideas to gain even an illusory sense of control.

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