My mother was superstitious all her life. We cleaned and dusted the house each Thursday. After that, we could welcome dead ancestors into our home. On Friday afternoons, Mom would place incense sticks in a cup of sand, kneel, and talk to kin who had passed. She would ask them for forgiveness and advice on fixing any wrongness. I surmise that this action made her feel better. She felt comforted, and there is nothing wrong with wanting some comfort.
Superstition and luck go together, though people interpret the two differently. Luck feels more passive, unpredictable, and random, while we have some control over superstition. The superstitious carry a lucky charm to steer fate. We give meaning to disparate events or unrelated coincidences and connect them.
Paul Rozin, a psychology professor at the University of Pennsylvania and former editor of the research journal Appetite, has examined this. He and his colleagues found that people were not amenable to wearing a piece of clothing that had been worn by a murderer, even if it were laundered. The opposite can also be true: When a fan’s item of clothing has been touched and blessed by his favorite celebrity, he would be hard-pressed to launder the item. Rozin found that people are generally superstitious.
I have my own superstitions 迷信. I wear a headscarf when we visit the graves of our loved ones. In the grand scheme, I don’t follow my mother’s rituals and rules, and I shouldn’t have to fake my way with a headscarf.
Yet I stand on the soil wearing the scarf anyway. In truth, I feel at ease in this attire at the gravesite. It also reminds me of who I am—in sneakers and a scarf. I am not alone when I use superstitions as a coping strategy.
When situations feel unpredictable or chaotic, superstitious feelings may give us a sense of control. Wearing your lucky socks to a job interview can lower heart rate, tension, stress, and anxiety.
A study in the journal Psychological Science reported that activating superstition, such as signing the cross or throwing salt over the shoulder, can boost confidence and performance. A ritual can be a mental cue that boosts focus, self-efficacy, and self-confidence. Superstitious thinking can also act as a placebo; knocking on wood can improve outlook or performance.
Of course, we cannot go too far. Excessive magical thinking may weaken confidence and agency. Yet many cultures follow rules that are plain wacky; here are some from East Asia:
Don’t feed a baby shrimp, mango, or pineapple; he will develop boils
Don’t look at images on the phone; they cause excitement and destabilize energy
Close the bathroom door; evil spirits are in the toilet
Fold clothes, don’t hang them; a ghost can put on the clothes
Don’t sleep with a mirror near the bed; it decreases yang energy
And if you are pregnant:
Don’t hammer nails in the wall; it causes fetal malformation
Don’t sew on the bed—needle, scissors give the baby cleft palate
Don’t dig in the garden; it causes mental disturbance for the baby
Don’t raise your hand above your head; it’s bad energy for the fetus
Avoid dark foods——the baby will develop dark skin from chocolate, cola, coffee, or others
