The next time you cross your fingers or tell someone to break a leg, you may actually be bringing some luck.
Superstitious ways of bringing good luck are found in cultures around the world, and it turns out they may be ubiquitous for a very good reason: To some extent, superstitions work. New research shows that believing in, say, the power of a good luck charm can actually help improve performance in certain situations, even though the charm and event aren't logically linked.
This is what a team of psychologists at the University of Cologne in Germany report in the May issue of the journal Psychological Science. In a series of experiments employing tasks involving memory and motor skills, the scientists studied the effect of behavior and "object superstitions" – which rely on good luck charms – in college students. Read more
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Superstitions Bring Real Luck, Study Reveals
Do you have any superstitions? You may feel silly about admitting that you do, but maybe you shouldn't be. A study reveals that superstitions bring real luck!