Today is the day people have tons of superstitions about.
And you know what’s curious about superstitions? They tend to creep into real life.
Because technology and finance still require human decision-making, they too are influenced by superstitions. Not because the system is faulty or taken over by some unseen force, but simply because fear impacts how decisions are made.
It’s true of all superstitions. A black cat crossing your path and you alter your next action. You might stop heading to your destination or abandon whatever task you were about to perform.
Superstition gets the best of us when we let it.
But none of this can be scientifically proven- it has never been. What has happened is that a persistent fear of a date has led to behaviours that ultimately produced outcomes.
Are there cultures around the world that disregard this?
Yes. Mine, for example.
We are new to this phenomenon. We saw it in movies and found it peculiar. But we also understand superstition to the core, having some funny ones of our own.
In an article published by the British Psychological Society, the writer interviewed several psychologists researching superstition and found that such beliefs often emerge when people feel they have lost, or fear they have lost, control over a situation. The anxiety associated with such a predicament triggers patterns of thought and behaviour that typically help the person cope.
But why should so many people have the same superstition then?
Psychologists suggest that people are influenced by the idea that evil and good can be transmitted by mere physical touch. This irrational tendency might have some evolutionary roots.
Nevertheless, superstition can have drastic consequences also – like uncanny belief in possession can lead to significant abuse, ot to mention the effect on your bank account.
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