Meanwhile, an anecdote is told about the Spanish actress Elsa Pataky, who, after being successful in an audition using different colored socks, decided to keep this costume, believing that it would give her good luck. Although there is no evidence of the veracity of this story, it illustrates how it was formed and entrusted the supersticiones in our minds.
The search for connections between events is one of the strongest characteristics of the human mind. From an evolutionary perspective, this tendency has been crucial to our survival, as it allows us to anticipate what might happen in the future. However, this inclination to establish cause-and-effect relationships can also be useful for creating active associations. For example, it is not logical to connect the color of Pataky's socks with his acting example, but his mind, in search of patrons, made this connection.
Psychologist BF Skinner pioneered the study of superstitious behavior in 1948, when he observed that palomas performed rituals to obtain food that was automatically dispensed. This phenomenon, known as the “adventitious condition,” reveals how serious humans and animals can create fictitious connections between events. Similarly, people are able to establish relationships between actions and outcomes that are actually unrelated.
Psychology has also identified the “confirmation sex” as a factor that repels superstitions. This tells us to pay more attention to the events that confirm our beliefs and ignore those that contradict them. For example, someone might think: «Siempre que lavo el coche, llueve», remembering the times that this did not happen. This type of reasoning can lead to the formation and perpetuation of superstitious beliefs.
Another aspect that maintains these beliefs is “self-fulfilling prophecy”. If a person firmly believes that he needs an amulet to succeed, his anxiety before the failure of this can affect his performance, confirming his initial belief. Thus, superstition becomes a charge that, if ignored, can generate anxiety and negatively influence the desempeño.
The supersticiones are, in their majority, easy to follow. Simple actions like hitting the road or crossing the stairs require little effort and can give a feeling of control before uncertainty. Physicist Niels Bohr, despite being an analytical thinker, had a weapon in his office, claiming that even though he had not created amulets, he told her he treated her well. This example is how even the most rational minds can give in to irrational beliefs.
Superstitions are also deeply rooted in culture and traditions. Many have ancient origins and are passed down from generation to generation, like touches of wood, which come from Celtic creeks above the trees. The number three, considered de mala suerte, is linked to Judas Iscariot and the Last Supper, which demonstrates how supersticiones can be linked to cultural narratives.
The human mind contains two systems of thought: one intuitive, which seeks attacks and can cause errors, and another analytical, slower and reflective. This duality allows superstitious beliefs to coexist even in analytical people. Thus, by abandoning the scientific or logical context, our minds can turn as credulous as those of our ancestors. In summary, superstition is a fascinating phenomenon that reveals the complexity and duality of human psychology.
