The Scoop
Don’t Let
Your Luck
Run Out
Why being superstitious
can be good for you
If you want a boost, wear your lucky
shirt. A recent German study shows
that being superstitious can improve
memory, dexterity, and athletic performance. It gives us the illusion of
control, resulting in a calming effect,
says Stuart Vyse, Ph.D., author of
Believing in Magic: The Psychology
of Superstition. In one experiment,
volunteers carried lucky charms, but
researchers confiscated some of them
before people played a game. Those
who kept their talismans performed
better because of more confidence,
follow-up tests found. Superstitions
become problematic only when you
avoid doing things—such as skipping
that doctor’s appointment on Friday
the 13th—that you really should do,
says Don Saucier, Ph.D., an associate
professor at Kansas State University.
So keep that rabbit’s foot. And good
luck! —Laura Daily
ILLUSTRATION BY STEPHEN SAVAGE
