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SPINKS: Very superstitious

Superstitions may increase our success and happiness

I am irrationally superstitious. While I suppose you could make the argument that all superstitions are irrational, the fact that I would be so wary of jinxes and stepping on cracks is particularly anomalous, because I like to think I approach most situations from a fairly reasonable perspective. I consider myself a logical person, and yet I make a wish every time the clock reads 11:11. I avoid sidewalk cracks. I have lucky pieces of clothing. I knock on wood to prevent a jinx. I can’t help myself.

I maintain a strong belief in the power of jinxes, and although it makes me feel silly, I think this belief is here to stay. So it was comforting to me this week when I encountered an article on TIME magazine’s website about the power of being superstitious. Rarely do you see superstitious people portrayed in a flattering or positive light, so I was vindicated to see a study in a respected news magazine on superstitious behavior, accompanied by an article explaining the benefits of what journalist Matthew Hutson called “magical thinking.”

The original study came out of the University of Chicago and was published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology. The researchers found that “actions such as knocking on wood or throwing a ball away from themselves helped the volunteers to believe that they had successfully avoided the bad luck to come.” Superstitious actions, it seems, have actual psychological consequences.

While this may seem slightly bizarre or unhealthy, since your happiness is essentially a result of delusion, it seems to me that if something works, we should not fight it. Irrationality can manifest itself in negative or hurtful ways, but “magical thinking” seems a relatively harmless and easy way to alleviate stress.

In an accompanying article, Hutson argues that if you think a behavior is likely to make you lucky, the outcome of a situation will be more positive. In one study he cited, a group of people was asked to make 10 golf putts. Half the group was told that they ball they were using was “lucky,” and that half putted successfully 35 percent more often. Holding a “lucky charm” also resulted in higher scores on cognitive tests. When asked to perform a task with an object that they considered “lucky” in the room with them, participants completed tasks more successfully and reported feeling higher levels of self-efficacy.

Hutson identifies as a skeptic, but he concludes that a little “magical thinking” is a good thing. Hutson contends that we are all irrational, and our belief in superstitions is deeply rooted. But that’s OK. He says, “There’s such a thing as a positive illusion and it’s not always best to have a clear-eyed picture of the world.” I tend to agree with him.

Sometimes the world is harsh and cruel and bad outcomes seem completely random; bad luck seems to be arbitrarily distributed. It can be difficult to reconcile ourselves with that lack of control. No, being superstitious does not actually help me control the universe or my own life, but people who truly allow themselves to indulge in “magical thinking” tend to feel better and perform better on tasks. That’s a powerful tool — why not take advantage of it?

I found this research incredibly interesting, and I write to encourage you all to invite a little more magical thinking into your lives — the science says that you’ll be happier, and maybe even luckier. According to Hutson, “Being a little overconfident and a little over optimistic appears to be part of mental health.” So knock on wood. Hop over that sidewalk crack. Wear your lucky T-shirt to all five of your final exams — you may reek and your friends may stop talking to you for a few days, but you may also get a higher grade. Believe in the power of magical thinking; there may be tangible benefits to allowing yourself to have that faith.

Ashley Spinks is an Opinion columnist for The Cavalier Daily. Her columns run Mondays.

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