Why Are Some People Superstitious?

Touching wood when discussing hopeful things that might happen in the future will, as some believe, ward off bad luck.

Francis Bacon (born 1561) said “The general root of superstition is that men observe when things hit, and not when they miss; and commit to memory the one, and forget and pass over the other”. In 1789, Gilbert White noted "It is the hardest thing in the world to shake off superstitious prejudices; they are sucked in as it were with our mother's milk." (White, 1789: letter xxviii)

Origins of Superstition

So, why is it that even in this day and age when common sense tells that many (and even most) superstitions can't possibly be defended, they still have such strong influence over our lives?

A superstition is a belief in something that is irrational and some of these beliefs go back to pre-Christian times when man would try to make sense of the forces of nature around him. Other superstitions were used as a way of rejecting old religions. "Touch wood" for instance, means to touch the 'wood of the cross', a Christian way of taking over an already established Pagan custom. The Romans came to regard Christianity as superstitious; a term Christians were then to use against the religion of the Romans.

To look for a function behind superstitions, it might be said therefore that they are an attempt to update older beliefs. This is not, however, the only reason behind these sayings and religious superstitions aren't the only ones. Cultural superstitions relate to practices within a particular society. An English example of this is for the first man that crosses the threshold on New Year's Eve to be dark haired and carrying coal. This will ensure good luck in the household.

In America, some say that if a married couple throws cow peas across the road near their home, the woman will become fertile. While if a young girl in Germany accidentally gets a thorn stuck in her clothes, she is likely to marry a widower.

Cultural superstitions are useful in that society needs rules and conventions and following traditional superstitions is one way of upholding certain behaviour patterns. The need for 'patterns' is actually an important part of human nature and psychologists say that people will look for, and find, patterns even where they don't exist. There are some patterns, however, that are constant and predictable: day and night, dark and light, the pattern of the seasons. Many superstitions are founded on observations based on these patterns. Sunny weather might be predicted, for example, when pine cones stay open, but expect rain as soon as they close.

And then there are individual superstitions, private ones that some people believe in and some don't such as walking under a ladder bringing bad luck. Where might such a saying have originated? Could it have been common sense as people walking under ladders may well find pots of paint falling on their heads! Another explanation is that occultists believed that the ladder, the ground and the wall formed a circle and it was unlucky to break the circle.

Some superstitions seem to be utter nonsense, having no valid explanation. What sense is there in expecting money because of an itchy right palm or in expecting a male visitor if a knife falls, a female caller if a fork should fall?

Could it be bad luck not to be superstitious or could being superstitious be another way of being careful? Origins of superstitions go back thousands of years and despite an inability to explain why, many people today still believe that omens can predict their destiny.

Sources

Lings, Martin Ancient Beliefs and Modern Superstitions Archetype (2001)

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