These are all examples of superstitions or what Stuart Vyse, PhD, and the author of Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition, calls magical thinking. More than half of Americans admitted ...

A recent study provides important new insights into the psychology of superstition. Considerable work over the years has examined the causes and characteristics of superstitious beliefs (e.g ...

Superstitions, rituals, and symbolic gestures all feed into a larger psychological need: identity reinforcement. In a ...

Step on a crack, break your mother’s back. Don’t walk under a ladder. Terrible things happen on Friday the 13th (besides low-budget slasher films). Where do superstitions come from and why do ...

According to Psychology Today, being superstitious means behaving in a way that is either "based on fear of the unknown and/or faith in magic or luck." Superstitions can be culturally informed ...

New research found behaving superstitiously could benefit us psychologically, even if we know it has no real effect on the outcomes of our actions. When you purchase through links on our site, we ...

An article in the 2018 International Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences states, “Superstition has its roots in our ...

Maybe you're stressing out because it's Friday the 13th and your neighbor's black cat just darted past your bedroom window. But what makes some people superstitious, while others can pay no mind to, ...