People need to have something to believe in. There is a search for meaning in this uncertain and chaotic world and anything that suggests order is pounced upon by a high percentage of the public. Many classical superstitions have their route in a simple idea that has persisted into modern culture .
Religion which I do not include in superstition demands certain standards from the believers. Most genuine religions that have hundreds of thousands of years of pedigree have remained in circulation because they work for their members.
Superstitious beliefs on the other hand focus on concepts like luck pre destination and universal laws that need no change or growth of its followers. It is based on ritual and gives meaning to those who are primarily driven by fear and avoidance tactics. The appeal is potent but short lived with selective thinking that reinforces the belief system.
One example might suggest that if a superstitious behaviour leads to an outcome then the superstition must be true. If not the data is ignored and forgotten about. Selective thinking will search for meaning and the process of the superstition encourages this idea.
Certain types of people come under the influence of superstition. They are often highly educated but do not let their intellect rationalise the statistical evidence for the validity of the belief. Anxious people and those who have had dysfunctional lives are also prone to its affects. They often develop these traits in childhood and are more common with perfectionists, obsessional compulsive and neurotic individuals..
Superstition is universal and does not just affect one class of people though many scientists are more likely to dismiss it as it doesn’t follow the riggers of scientific analysis. The world of business has a tendency to embrace it as the accumulation of wealth is a somewhat haphazard affair where money does not always go in the direction it should.
Peter Bull