by Vilie Farah

Created on: October 03, 2009

A colleague of mine came to work in the early afternoon one day. She told me that while driving, a black cat jumped in front of her brand new, tiny and very urban car. She turned around and went straight back home. It was only in the afternoon that she gathered the courage to go out once again.

As unbelievable as they are, superstitions could have massive impact on the life of people.

Believing that something powerful and unpredictable is holding control of our own lives has some advantages. It makes people shift responsibility and feel ok whenever failures occur. After all, nothing is dependent on our own efforts, right? It was the fault of the black cat.

Superstitions search for rational explanations of the numerous irrational events that happen every day. All occurrences could be explained via four-leafed clovers, broken mirrors and horseshoes.

The obsession with superstitions could become so powerful that it could massively affect the daily routine of people.

According to some research, even our choices as consumers are affected by superstitions. Many people refuse going out of their homes and shopping on a Friday 13, for example. Same goes for hotel rooms. Some accommodation spots refrain from having a hotel room numbered 13. It is usually replaced by the number 12B.

Some psychological disorders are also connected to the extreme trust in superstitions. An Italian survey showed that people, who very much take superstitions for granted, are more prone to worrying and feeling threatened without an apparent reason. Perfectionism, on the other hand, failed appearing among the traits exhibited by superstitious individuals.

The trust in superstitions makes people gradually lose the motivation to be in control of their own life. This is true for extreme cases, but superstitions could affect lifestyles even if accepted subconsciously or on some small level.

Everyone has at a point or another exhibited some form of superstition. Wearing a lucky jacket to an important exam is one option. Athletes might follow some rituals of their own before and important contest. Poker players could demand to be seated in a special chair, which in turn could boost their game skills.

Whether we acknowledge or deny the fact, superstitions have impact on our lives. It is all part of the human psychology. Humans need to rationalize and find specifics in order to diminish the threat that massive events and occurrences hold. And if this does the trick, then why not?

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