Superstition

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It's Friday 13th, so today I've got a bonus episode for you about the psychology of superstition.

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Episode Transcript

Richard (00:00):
And hello to you.
It's Friday the 13th today.
Hope today's been a good one foryou so far, or at least.
Not a bad one.
Humans are funny, old creaturesand superstitions are a good
example of that.
Where do they come from?
Why do we cling tosuperstitions?
What on earth is going on in ourbrain when we avoid stepping on

(00:20):
cracks in the pavement or wesalute magpies?
And superstition is one of thoselittle quirks of human b
ehaviour that stuck arounddespite us all pretty much I'm
sure, knowing logically thatthere is no real cause and
effect.
But that's the thing aboutlogic, isn't it?
It's not always the dominantforce in our day-to-day lives.

(00:43):
You see, our brains arehardwired to look for patterns.
That's what helped us survive asa species and populate the
planet.
If our ancestors noticed thatcertain berries made people
sick, then they learn to avoidthem.
If dark clouds led to storms,they found shelter.
So over time, this patternseeking tendency became one of

(01:04):
our greatest tools.
And it's also the root ofsuperstition.
Take the classic example of yourlucky pair of pants.
You wear them to a job interviewand you get the job, you know,
is that a coincidence?
Well, yeah, yeah, of course itis.
But your brain bless it, doesn'twanna miss a pattern just in
case.
So it links the pants to successand the next time something

(01:27):
important crops up on go thelucky pants again.
And this is what psychologistscall illusory correlation.
When we think that two unrelatedevents are actually connected,
'cause our brain thinks well,better safe than sorry.
And once we believe thatsomething is lucky or unlucky,
confirmation bias kicks in.

(01:49):
We start noticing every time thebelief seems to be right and we
ignore all those times when itvery clearly isn't.
And we all do it.
Even those of us who think thatwe are far too rational to fall
for that sort of thing.
If you've ever knocked on woodafter saying something positive,
just in case you jinx it oryou've crossed your fingers for
luck, that's superstition.

(02:09):
And the interesting thing isthat superstition isn't actually
about your beliefs, not as such.
It's more about control, orrather it's our need for
control.
If life feels unpredictable orout of our hands, superstition
gives us a sense of control.
It gives us something to do.

(02:29):
If the outcome of something isuncertain and you can't
influence it directly.
Maybe wearing your lucky pantsor repeating some sort of ritual
is a way of feeling a littleless helpless.
And there's loads of research toback this up.
Lots of studies have shown thatpeople are more likely to engage
in superstitious b ehaviour whenthey're anxious or under

(02:50):
pressure.
Like sports players, they areprime example of this.
There's always the tennis playerwho bounces the ball exactly
five times before they serve, orthere's a footballer who's gotta
put on their left boot first.
And it is not because they trulybelieve that the ritual is gonna
cause them some success.

(03:10):
It's because it helps'em to feelready.
It becomes part of the mentalpreparation.
So is superstition a bad thing?
Well, not necessarily.
If a little ritual helps you tofeel more confident, reduces
stress, or keeps you grounded,then sure, carry on.
Nothing's a problem unless itcauses problems, which can arise

(03:32):
when the belief becomes abarrier, when it limits your b
ehaviour.
Or worse creates anxiety.
If someone won't leave the housetoday,'cause it's Friday the
13th, or they start to genuinelyfear the number 6, 6, 6, then we
are not in lucky pants territoryanymore.
That's veering into obsessivethinking.
As with most thingspsychological, awareness is key.

(03:54):
So if you notice yourselfclinging to a superstition just
pause for a moment, and ask whatis really going on underneath?
Are you feeling uncertain?
Are you trying to take back somecontrol?
'cause that's okay, that'shuman.
But recognising it helps you tostep back and choose how to

(04:15):
respond.
Maybe instead of rubbing a St.
Christopher, you can take a fewdeep breaths, ground yourself in
the present, and remind yourselfthat you are already capable.
With or without any lucky pants.
Superstition is a fascinatingglimpse into how our brains try
to protect us, how we deal withuncertainty, how we try to

(04:35):
create meaning in a chaoticworld.
And sometimes just knowing whywe do what we do is enough to
help us decide whether we stillwant to keep doing it.
So next time you're gonna throwsalt over your shoulder or avoid
walking under that ladder, givea little nod to your brain and
say, thanks, brain.
But I've got this.
'cause your strength doesn'tcome from rituals, it comes from

(04:58):
you, from your resilience, yourintention and your ability to
adapt and grow.
Superstitions might offer as acrutch, but it's your own legs
that carry you.
Right then time's up for today.
You have a good one.
Enjoy your weekend.
Take care of yourself, and I'llspeak to you again very, very
soon.

(05:18):
Bye for now.