Lucky pens, lucky shirts, lucky seats

[CaptainPanic]

Intro

While most people posting on this forum describe themselves as atheists, determinists or some other form of non-believer, I would be surprised if many don't have some secret superstitions. Personally, I wrote my exams with a lucky pen. I know others think they can influence the outcome of a football game by either watching or not watching.

 

I want to talk about any possible scientific explanation why superstition might work - or why it can be proven to be bogus.

Obviously, since this is posted in The Lounge, if you just want to tell us your silly superstition, or a funny anecdote, that's welcome too.

 

The lucky pen

I believe that my lucky pen must have boosted my confidence and reduced my nervousness... but I am not sure I have enough data points to make a good correlation (with small enough error) to say it actually worked. But it might have actually improved my results at exams.

 

All superstition regarding sports

This one annoys me. Since the butterfly effect is sort-of accepted science, any action at any distance from the actual stadium can influence the game, although probably very marginally. So, yes, I really think you can influence the game. But by how much? And can you change it in favor of your team? I don't see how.

But if you reverse it: can I prove that it does not work? I don't see how.

 

Does anyone have any other silly superstitions, or do you want to explain why it's all bogus? This is the thread.

[ewmon]

my lucky pen must have boosted my confidence and reduced my nervousness

 

any action at any distance from the actual stadium can influence the game, although probably very marginally

I also agree that superstitions work this way for both situations: for one's own performance and for someone else's performance.

 

I think mere thoughts can also have similar effects on someone else's performance. For example, if enough people wished that someone would put a bullet in a particular, unnamed president's head, and even if most of them never voiced their opinion (although they might not speak up against it if someone else voices it -- which is almost the same as voicing it), then that "psychological pressure" might overwhelm the decency threshold of a weak-willed person who then goes ahead and does such a thing.

[Phi for All]

I hate it when people ascribe luck to outcomes where it was really their own hard work and focus that was responsible. Still, I know that lucky items can boost confidence, so it's hard to fault them for that.

 

I really hate it when people blame bad luck instead of admitting they should have been better prepared. People like that make me reach for my lucky baseball bat.

[Joatmon]

I believe there is some evidence that if you had a choice to make in the past and, following your choice all went well, next time you meet that choice you will want to repeat the course of events as exactly as possible. This feeling could be very strong if the past event was particularly important or risky. This could be the underlying reason for a lucky object or following some lucky routine. If it worked for you last time then it gives you a strong feeling that it should work for you next time.

Edited March 9, 2012 by Joatmon

[imatfaal]

I tend to not tempt fate by what I say, 3 - nil up at half time and still nothing would convince to say "this is gonna be an easy win". It's not conscious - but I do recognize that I shy away from talking about (even very likely) future goods.

[dimreepr]

Intro

While most people posting on this forum describe themselves as atheists, determinists or some other form of non-believer, I would be surprised if many don't have some secret superstitions. Personally, I wrote my exams with a lucky pen. I know others think they can influence the outcome of a football game by either watching or not watching.

 

I want to talk about any possible scientific explanation why superstition might work - or why it can be proven to be bogus.

Obviously, since this is posted in The Lounge, if you just want to tell us your silly superstition, or a funny anecdote, that's welcome too.

 

The lucky pen

I believe that my lucky pen must have boosted my confidence and reduced my nervousness... but I am not sure I have enough data points to make a good correlation (with small enough error) to say it actually worked. But it might have actually improved my results at exams.

 

All superstition regarding sports

This one annoys me. Since the butterfly effect is sort-of accepted science, any action at any distance from the actual stadium can influence the game, although probably very marginally. So, yes, I really think you can influence the game. But by how much? And can you change it in favor of your team? I don't see how.

But if you reverse it: can I prove that it does not work? I don't see how.

 

Does anyone have any other silly superstitions, or do you want to explain why it's all bogus? This is the thread.

 

 

Humans and many other animals want and need (in some way) routine, this could be an extension of that need.

 

 

[CharonY]

Like wearing a suit for an interview. Or pants.

[Tres Juicy]

Like wearing a suit for an interview. Or pants.

 

I always do that, call me silly but interviews just don't seem to go as well without them...

[Phi for All]

I tend to not tempt fate by what I say, 3 - nil up at half time and still nothing would convince to say "this is gonna be an easy win". It's not conscious - but I do recognize that I shy away from talking about (even very likely) future goods.

I forgot about this. I never really considered it having to do with luck, but I also try to stay away from saying things like, "Well, the worst of it is over", or, "What could possibly go wrong?", or, "I checked the batteries in the flashlight and they're fine".

 

It's not so much a matter of "jinxing" myself, it's just seems that if you know the likelihood of an outcome with 100% accuracy, the likelihood of a mistake is also 100%.

[Schrödinger's hat]

I always do that, call me silly but interviews just don't seem to go as well without them...

 

Pah, I'll have no such superstitious nonsense.

[zapatos]

All superstition regarding sports

This one annoys me. Since the butterfly effect is sort-of accepted science, any action at any distance from the actual stadium can influence the game, although probably very marginally. So, yes, I really think you can influence the game. But by how much? And can you change it in favor of your team? I don't see how.

Well, I wouldn't say any action at any distance can influence the game. And there is a big difference between 'can influence' and 'will influence'.

 

If I roll over in bed five thousand files away from the game, in my closed room in which no one has any information about what is going on inside that room, I would say that action at that distance could not influence the game.

 

And for something that could influence the game theoretically, such as me calling my mother on the phone, it seems unlikely the influence will make it to the game in time to impact it.

 

I tend to count things. Not that anyone would notice, but I probably have some traits found in OCD. Anyway, one of the things I tend to count is steps I am walking up or down. If there are 13 steps I usually count my next step on flat ground just so I don't have to stop at 13. I don't think 13 is unlucky, but there I am counting to 14. Maybe because of all those childhood superstitions.

[Ringer]

Also, taking into account thing like confirmation bias and cognitive dissonance play a huge role in superstitions. There are a few books on this sort of thing in sports psychology, Choke was a good one IIRC.

 

[edit] Here's a link. . . http://www.amazon.com/Choke-Secrets-Brain-Reveal-Getting/dp/1416596186/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1331608076&sr=8-2 [/edit]

Edited March 13, 2012 by Ringer

[doG]

I tend to believe that thinking positive has some quantitative effect that yields more positive results over time, i.e. I frequently tell people that I don't believe in getting sick. Consequently I have missed fewer than 5 days of work in 20 years because of illness. I don't know if this really works but I cannot say the same of any of the people that have shared my household in the last 20 years whom have had more than their share of illness.

[iNow]

We are genetically programmed to see patterns and ascribe causes when there are neither. We develop from infancy looking at events happening and piecing together variables and context that led to it. Superstition seems to be a carryover from these. When we use a lucky pen in an attempt to change our test score, or wear a certain jersey to magnify the chances our prefered team wins the game, it is quite similar to when we`re infants assuming that it`s the snot dripping down our face that causes the shiny mobile above our head to spin.

 

In very ancient times, this was beneficial. It helped us realize that certain foods made us ill or certain plants made us well. It was better to be mistakenly correct than to ignore it and die. The countless false positives were worth the few accurate ones. Most of it is pure hokum now, though, even though it probably came out of some practical experience (walking under ladders, fear of black cats, etc.)

 

Me? When I was a kid I didn`t want to step on the cracks in sidewalks. I`ve managed to extingish most of them from life since studying psychology and neuroscience in college, though.