Why are some people especially superstitious?

 

Some people believe a black cat brings bad luck

Carol Forsloff - Are you afraid to walk under a ladder or shudder when a black cat crosses your path?  If the answer is yes, you may be among the group of people who have been found especially superstitious. 

Researchers have found certain personality traits held by people lead to their being more superstitious than other folks.  A formal study on the issue was conducted in 2010, where certain features of those who are more superstitious were found.

There are certain characteristics, like the belief in fate and chance and that life is controlled by these factors, that lead to a superstitious personality.  But when death approaches, that belief is often abandoned.

Scott Fluke received a special grant to work on this study along with Donald Saucier, associate professor of psychology, and Russel Webster, graduate student, and several years ago these two examined those traits among people that allow them to be more superstitious than other people.

They determined that people often will fall back on superstitious beliefs at a time when they believe those ideas might help them.  It's like wearing a lucky charm, for example.  

Some people, researchers found, use this type of superstitious behavior to help themselves cope with new situations instead of using other techniques to help them.individuals use superstitions to gain control over uncertainty; to decrease feelings of helplessness; and because it is easier to rely on superstition instead of coping strategies."

Yet those same coping strategies were not as prominent when participants were asked about their own death.  What researchers learned is that people are more uncertain about death and believe they cannot control it, which is what reduces their superstitious beliefs.

And Connecticut psychologist Stuart Vyse tells us that being superstitious is not something to be ashamed of, as most people are.  He defines being superstitious as "A belief or an action that is inconsistent with science.  And it needs to be aimed at bringing about good luck, or avoiding bad luck."He made these comments for CBS News to help people understand the nature of superstition and why so many people have superstitious beliefs.  

In fact, Vyse points out more people have some superstition they believe in than believe in the theory of evolution.

Research two years before, however, found that there is a factor that influences the level of superstitious belief.  When the research participants in Saucier's study were asked questions about their own death, levels of superstition were reduced.

So how does one avoid being superstitious?  Researcher Saucier tells us
not to believe in bad luck but to take control of situations, be decisive in response to life's events, take responsibility and own your actions, and finally stay away from situations where you have to rely on luck.