1 00:00:00,280 --> 00:00:02,840 Speaker 1: Brought to you by the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. 2 00:00:03,160 --> 00:00:09,880 Speaker 1: It's ready. Are you welcome to stuff Mom Never told you? 3 00:00:10,080 --> 00:00:17,680 Speaker 1: From house stuff Works dot com. Hello, and welcome to 4 00:00:17,720 --> 00:00:21,120 Speaker 1: the podcast. I'm Kristen and I'm Caroline, and today we 5 00:00:21,160 --> 00:00:25,880 Speaker 1: are talking about superstitions and lucky charms, which you know 6 00:00:25,960 --> 00:00:30,000 Speaker 1: that might sound like a ridiculous topic for this podcast, 7 00:00:30,200 --> 00:00:32,159 Speaker 1: only it would only be ridiculous if it were cereal. 8 00:00:33,360 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 1: If it were cereal charms, keep going, Okay, I was like, wait, wait, wait, wait, 9 00:00:40,159 --> 00:00:44,760 Speaker 1: like pop just horn pops. Yeah, just popcorn, roll with it. Okay, 10 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:49,239 Speaker 1: lucky charms, not the cereal although now I'm kind of 11 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:53,639 Speaker 1: craving lucky charms. Thank you. Caroline. Uh. Yes, so it's 12 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: it's a little bit of a random topic, but we 13 00:00:56,200 --> 00:00:59,800 Speaker 1: do have some gender differences to talk about and all, 14 00:01:00,080 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: so a little bit of illogical aspects of lucky charms. Yeah, 15 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 1: I mean, I never thought that carrying lucky charms would work. 16 00:01:13,319 --> 00:01:16,640 Speaker 1: Apparently apparently it can do something for you though. But 17 00:01:16,720 --> 00:01:20,560 Speaker 1: before we get down to the lucky charms research, I 18 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:22,399 Speaker 1: have a feeling. I feel like people are listening to 19 00:01:22,440 --> 00:01:26,040 Speaker 1: this right now and they're like they've gone off the detailed. 20 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:31,000 Speaker 1: They just say lucky charms research man. Yeah, yeah, we're 21 00:01:31,000 --> 00:01:34,440 Speaker 1: gonna be stocking big Foot next. That's right. But before 22 00:01:34,440 --> 00:01:37,840 Speaker 1: we get down to that, let's talk about some crazy superstition. 23 00:01:38,920 --> 00:01:42,200 Speaker 1: Let's do it. Do you haven't any musical accompaniment, Caroline, 24 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:46,640 Speaker 1: very superstition? Yeah, we got a little Stevie Wonder in 25 00:01:46,680 --> 00:01:49,120 Speaker 1: the house, isn't it there? Is it very superstitious? Is 26 00:01:49,160 --> 00:01:52,720 Speaker 1: it crazy superstition or very super superstition? We should have 27 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:59,760 Speaker 1: checked our our Stevie Wonder lyrics before. Okay, yes, superstitious. 28 00:01:59,760 --> 00:02:03,320 Speaker 1: But of your superstitious thoughts, it's not uncommon, as many 29 00:02:03,360 --> 00:02:06,960 Speaker 1: of you could probably attest. Uh this this uh two 30 00:02:06,960 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 1: thousand four study from the universities of Hertfordshire and Edinburgh 31 00:02:10,840 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 1: found that people have always had these superstitious beliefs a k. A. 32 00:02:15,240 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: Magical thinking, which I like better. Yeah, magical thinking it's 33 00:02:19,520 --> 00:02:23,079 Speaker 1: the belief that an object, action or circumstance not logically 34 00:02:23,120 --> 00:02:26,359 Speaker 1: related to a course of events can influence its outcome. 35 00:02:27,040 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: And just in terms of the common superstitions that a 36 00:02:31,880 --> 00:02:35,760 Speaker 1: lot of people share. There was a British psychological survey 37 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:39,200 Speaker 1: that was done I believe in two thousand eleven in 38 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:42,600 Speaker 1: honor of National Science Week, and it found that the 39 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:46,799 Speaker 1: number one superstition across the pond. And I have a 40 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:49,080 Speaker 1: feeling it's very popular over here as well because I 41 00:02:49,120 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 1: do it knocking on would oh yeah not yeah, Absolutely, 42 00:02:52,560 --> 00:02:54,120 Speaker 1: you've got a knock on? What if you say something 43 00:02:54,200 --> 00:02:56,720 Speaker 1: to potentially k chins yourself? I do that all the time. 44 00:02:56,760 --> 00:02:59,959 Speaker 1: I will knock on any surface, really if I catch myself, 45 00:03:00,080 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: if there's not really, if there's not wood around, I 46 00:03:01,960 --> 00:03:07,440 Speaker 1: just knock on my own head self deprecating superstitious. So 47 00:03:07,600 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: followed by crossing fingers, avoiding walking under ladders, not smashing mirrors, 48 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:16,359 Speaker 1: And that's just a good idea in general. It's hard 49 00:03:16,400 --> 00:03:19,880 Speaker 1: to clean up on that. Carrying a lucky charm and 50 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:22,920 Speaker 1: avoiding the number thirteen. Like a lot of buildings, the 51 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 1: building that we are sitting in right now contains known 52 00:03:26,240 --> 00:03:29,600 Speaker 1: thirteenth floor. To any buildings that the thirteenth floor, I 53 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:31,440 Speaker 1: don't know. I mean, if you're on the fourteenth floor, 54 00:03:31,480 --> 00:03:33,880 Speaker 1: then you're technically still on the thirteenth floor. It's just 55 00:03:33,919 --> 00:03:37,040 Speaker 1: not labeled that. Well, we're technically on the fourteenth floor, 56 00:03:37,160 --> 00:03:41,560 Speaker 1: so close call for us um And actually, speaking of 57 00:03:42,200 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 1: lucky charms. I realized as we were searching this podcast. 58 00:03:46,640 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 1: I don't like to think. I don't tend to think 59 00:03:49,320 --> 00:03:51,840 Speaker 1: of myself is very superstitious. But then I was like, 60 00:03:51,880 --> 00:03:54,720 Speaker 1: wait a minute, conger, you are knocking on wood all 61 00:03:54,760 --> 00:04:00,200 Speaker 1: the time. And I also where what I'm wearing right 62 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 1: around my neck today? I have my grandmother's wedding rings, 63 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:07,400 Speaker 1: and um, they are a prize possession of mine and 64 00:04:07,400 --> 00:04:10,000 Speaker 1: I'm terrified that I will lose them. But they become 65 00:04:10,200 --> 00:04:12,840 Speaker 1: like a lucky charm of sorts. Yeah, I don't know 66 00:04:12,880 --> 00:04:16,719 Speaker 1: that there hasn't been an instance when it is, you know, 67 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:20,000 Speaker 1: where some luck is abounded when I've been wearing them. 68 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:22,240 Speaker 1: But I just like having like her kind of close. 69 00:04:22,400 --> 00:04:26,080 Speaker 1: It's a self soothing thing. I actually have the exact 70 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:30,200 Speaker 1: same story. I am my my mom. Apparently I've hit 71 00:04:30,240 --> 00:04:32,480 Speaker 1: the age where I can now inherit my grandmother's jewelry 72 00:04:33,360 --> 00:04:35,400 Speaker 1: and or maybe my mother was just drinking a lot 73 00:04:35,440 --> 00:04:38,520 Speaker 1: of wine and rated her own jewelry box whatever. Um, 74 00:04:38,560 --> 00:04:40,960 Speaker 1: but I I got my grandmother's old ring that she 75 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:44,880 Speaker 1: got in North Africa, and it's very like spiky, the 76 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:46,960 Speaker 1: jewelry on it or the jewels on it are kind 77 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,479 Speaker 1: of spiky. They kind of stand up. And I remember 78 00:04:49,520 --> 00:04:52,279 Speaker 1: when I left my last job, I was so nervous 79 00:04:52,320 --> 00:04:54,560 Speaker 1: about that discussion with my boss that I was like, 80 00:04:55,080 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 1: I'm gonna wear I'm gonna wear the ring today. It 81 00:04:56,920 --> 00:04:59,320 Speaker 1: makes me feel a little bit luckier. And because the 82 00:04:59,320 --> 00:05:02,240 Speaker 1: spiky jewel that it comes to blows, we can it 83 00:05:02,320 --> 00:05:05,600 Speaker 1: can be a nice protective item. You can have it out. 84 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:10,360 Speaker 1: I mean, nothing like a lucky charm that serves multiple purposes, 85 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:15,760 Speaker 1: but for a little more fun. With what people believe in, 86 00:05:16,720 --> 00:05:20,280 Speaker 1: Time magazine wrote a review of a book by Christian 87 00:05:20,400 --> 00:05:26,040 Speaker 1: Christopher Bader and Carson Mankin called Paranormal America, and they 88 00:05:26,120 --> 00:05:31,520 Speaker 1: found that the people most likely to believe in out 89 00:05:31,520 --> 00:05:33,920 Speaker 1: of body experiences and to say that they've had an 90 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:38,280 Speaker 1: out of body experience highly educated people that college degree 91 00:05:38,480 --> 00:05:42,000 Speaker 1: comes with an out of body experience. Who believes in 92 00:05:42,120 --> 00:05:46,160 Speaker 1: UFOs Caroline, single white men. I'm not going to say 93 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:49,840 Speaker 1: nerdy single white men, because that would be judg I 94 00:05:49,880 --> 00:05:56,160 Speaker 1: know a lot of Caucasian male humans who who believe 95 00:05:56,200 --> 00:06:01,359 Speaker 1: you an alien possibly who believe an extra trustrial life. 96 00:06:01,360 --> 00:06:04,840 Speaker 1: So I kinda not a big surprise. The best though, 97 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:08,279 Speaker 1: was there finding that the folks most likely to believe 98 00:06:08,320 --> 00:06:13,560 Speaker 1: in Bigfoot are successful professionals. Yeah, so it sounds like, 99 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:19,919 Speaker 1: if you're a single white, highly educated professional male, you 100 00:06:20,040 --> 00:06:23,640 Speaker 1: have a lot of superstition. Yeah, but if you taught 101 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: like change that to highly educated, single white, successful professional female, 102 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:33,440 Speaker 1: then you are even more superstitious. Because we are now 103 00:06:33,520 --> 00:06:39,680 Speaker 1: getting into the gender aspect of superstition. And guess what, folks, 104 00:06:39,760 --> 00:06:44,400 Speaker 1: Repeated studies have found that women tend to be more 105 00:06:44,440 --> 00:06:48,000 Speaker 1: superstitious than men. Right. We also are more likely to 106 00:06:48,040 --> 00:06:51,360 Speaker 1: believe in ghosts and poultergeist or just that our houses 107 00:06:51,360 --> 00:06:55,120 Speaker 1: are haunted in general, which I may have maybe been 108 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:59,680 Speaker 1: terrified that my last apartment was haunted whatever. Yeah, I 109 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 1: don't don't know what would be haunting it. But yeah, 110 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:04,279 Speaker 1: we also have trouble. We have a lot of trouble 111 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:07,039 Speaker 1: as women. On Friday the thirteen. Oh man, this is 112 00:07:07,040 --> 00:07:10,920 Speaker 1: one of my favorite studies just in terms of the 113 00:07:11,040 --> 00:07:15,080 Speaker 1: ridiculous scale that I've ever run across in my history 114 00:07:15,320 --> 00:07:18,680 Speaker 1: of researching for stuff. Mom never told you. This was 115 00:07:18,720 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: published in two thousand two in the American Journal of Psychiatry. Caroline, 116 00:07:22,640 --> 00:07:27,600 Speaker 1: please share what these researchers found. Yeah, they looked at 117 00:07:28,040 --> 00:07:29,880 Speaker 1: I guess this must have been a pretty fun study 118 00:07:29,960 --> 00:07:32,360 Speaker 1: to do or to propose. In the first place, they 119 00:07:32,400 --> 00:07:35,360 Speaker 1: wanted to see if people got into more car accidents 120 00:07:35,440 --> 00:07:38,960 Speaker 1: on Friday the thirteenth, and they found that, yes, people do, 121 00:07:39,080 --> 00:07:43,320 Speaker 1: but specifically women. People get into more car accidents on 122 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:46,760 Speaker 1: Friday the thirteenth, And they chalk that up to maybe 123 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:50,320 Speaker 1: people's superstitions about the day interfering with their behavior. So 124 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:52,600 Speaker 1: maybe we're so nervous that something bad is going to 125 00:07:52,680 --> 00:07:54,520 Speaker 1: happen on Friday the thirteenth that we go ahead and 126 00:07:54,560 --> 00:07:56,640 Speaker 1: just rearround the person in front of us. Yeah, and 127 00:07:57,360 --> 00:08:02,040 Speaker 1: a glaring example. It would seem of little mixed up 128 00:08:02,040 --> 00:08:07,000 Speaker 1: between correlation and causation. These study authors conclude, quote an 129 00:08:07,160 --> 00:08:09,960 Speaker 1: estimated thirty eight percent of traffic dusts involving women on 130 00:08:09,960 --> 00:08:17,800 Speaker 1: this day were attributable to Friday. So take that for 131 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:21,720 Speaker 1: what you will. Maybe it's just in Finland, finished listeners, 132 00:08:21,840 --> 00:08:25,800 Speaker 1: do things get really weird on the road on Friday thirteenth? 133 00:08:26,480 --> 00:08:29,800 Speaker 1: But speaking more generally, there's a two thousand eleven study 134 00:08:29,840 --> 00:08:34,839 Speaker 1: of Rollins College that found that, again, women are more superstitious, 135 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:39,559 Speaker 1: they are more likely to have religious beliefs, and stronger 136 00:08:39,559 --> 00:08:42,880 Speaker 1: religious beliefs than men, and also have significantly higher scores 137 00:08:43,280 --> 00:08:48,600 Speaker 1: in traditional superstitious beliefs, including superstitious behaviors like refraining from 138 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:52,800 Speaker 1: something we think might jinx ourselves or engaging in rituals 139 00:08:52,840 --> 00:08:56,400 Speaker 1: like caring good luck charms, dressing a certain way, thinking 140 00:08:56,440 --> 00:08:59,600 Speaker 1: that will it will improve our performance. Yeah. I typically 141 00:08:59,600 --> 00:09:02,000 Speaker 1: do the inks thing, like I will avoid talking about 142 00:09:02,040 --> 00:09:05,240 Speaker 1: something or or sounding, you know, too optimistic about something 143 00:09:05,280 --> 00:09:07,720 Speaker 1: in case it jinks is it? Which is silly? I 144 00:09:07,800 --> 00:09:12,480 Speaker 1: do the same thing. And speaking of Friday, women, according 145 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:15,120 Speaker 1: to this two thousand eleven study, were more likely to 146 00:09:15,160 --> 00:09:20,360 Speaker 1: refrain from taking an exam on that day. Stupid. I'm 147 00:09:20,360 --> 00:09:23,040 Speaker 1: sorry with that, judgy, that's so stupid. Why would you 148 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:26,599 Speaker 1: not take an exam because it's Friday if you studied 149 00:09:26,640 --> 00:09:31,280 Speaker 1: for it. People? Maybe because it is clearly dangerous to 150 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:35,760 Speaker 1: traffic that day, Carol driving to campus? Yeah, maybe you 151 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:40,440 Speaker 1: should just say of traffic deaths. Um. Well, another thing 152 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:44,760 Speaker 1: that we should touch on about superstitious behavior, not to uh, 153 00:09:44,960 --> 00:09:47,360 Speaker 1: not to offend anyone, but so there were a lot 154 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:50,840 Speaker 1: of attempts to understand this whole magical thinking thing why 155 00:09:50,920 --> 00:09:54,920 Speaker 1: people are superstitious and in the nineteen eighties, scientists developed 156 00:09:54,920 --> 00:09:59,160 Speaker 1: the paranormal belief scale, and research around this time found 157 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:04,200 Speaker 1: it superstitious beliefs are associated with poor psychological adjustment, such 158 00:10:04,240 --> 00:10:08,600 Speaker 1: as low confidence in your ability to succeed, high anxiety, 159 00:10:08,679 --> 00:10:13,199 Speaker 1: irrational beliefs, and external locus of control, etcetera, etcetera. But 160 00:10:13,480 --> 00:10:17,160 Speaker 1: that had more to do with the actual negative superstitions. 161 00:10:17,240 --> 00:10:19,400 Speaker 1: So you know you're afraid to break a mirror because 162 00:10:19,400 --> 00:10:23,920 Speaker 1: it will bring bad luck. People who have positive superstitions 163 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:26,920 Speaker 1: like if I carry this rabbit's foot, good things are 164 00:10:26,920 --> 00:10:30,600 Speaker 1: going to happen to me, those people weren't as much 165 00:10:30,640 --> 00:10:35,280 Speaker 1: covered under this belief scale. Under the paranormal belief scale, yeah, 166 00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:38,679 Speaker 1: they are considered actually to be more psychologically adaptive than 167 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 1: their negative superstitious counterparts. And speaking of psychology, the main 168 00:10:44,440 --> 00:10:48,760 Speaker 1: explanation for why women tend to carry more superstitious beliefs 169 00:10:48,800 --> 00:10:53,959 Speaker 1: is because women also tend to exhibit higher trade anxiety 170 00:10:54,000 --> 00:10:56,880 Speaker 1: than men do. Because it seems like with positive and 171 00:10:57,080 --> 00:11:00,439 Speaker 1: negative superstitions, whether it's saying like my grandmother's ring are 172 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:02,680 Speaker 1: going to make my day better, or I better not 173 00:11:02,720 --> 00:11:05,840 Speaker 1: smash this mirroralds like blood will rain down on my head. 174 00:11:07,040 --> 00:11:09,880 Speaker 1: I don't know. I don't know what happens if you 175 00:11:09,960 --> 00:11:14,720 Speaker 1: smash the mire, but um, either way, it's rooted in 176 00:11:14,800 --> 00:11:17,800 Speaker 1: some kind of anxiety that you need to need to 177 00:11:17,840 --> 00:11:20,480 Speaker 1: perform well, you need some you need a boost of 178 00:11:20,559 --> 00:11:26,120 Speaker 1: some sort, whether you're avoiding something or competing for something. Yeah, 179 00:11:26,120 --> 00:11:29,199 Speaker 1: and that two thousand four study, uh that I mentioned earlier, 180 00:11:29,400 --> 00:11:31,720 Speaker 1: it did confirm what Christians talking about that women do 181 00:11:31,880 --> 00:11:36,040 Speaker 1: have more superstitious beliefs. And they asked people, men and 182 00:11:36,080 --> 00:11:39,319 Speaker 1: women people to agree or disagree with positive and negative 183 00:11:39,320 --> 00:11:43,360 Speaker 1: superstitious statements, and women um agreed to a greater extent 184 00:11:44,120 --> 00:11:47,840 Speaker 1: with both than men did. Women were more eager, I guess, 185 00:11:47,880 --> 00:11:52,520 Speaker 1: to agree with these superstitious things. Um. And speaking now 186 00:11:52,760 --> 00:11:56,360 Speaker 1: into the whole lucky charms aspect of it, moving into 187 00:11:56,440 --> 00:12:02,360 Speaker 1: the positive non blood rain real of superstition, Uh, seventy 188 00:12:03,320 --> 00:12:08,120 Speaker 1: of college students exhibit superstitious beliefs or rituals before exams 189 00:12:08,240 --> 00:12:13,400 Speaker 1: or athletic performances. And this whole athletic performance thing is 190 00:12:13,440 --> 00:12:16,440 Speaker 1: really interesting because yeah, we have all this data saying well, 191 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:21,600 Speaker 1: women are more superstitious. But if you get into professional athletics, 192 00:12:21,960 --> 00:12:25,120 Speaker 1: there are so many stories, especially with baseball. It seems 193 00:12:25,200 --> 00:12:33,040 Speaker 1: like detailing professional male athletes rituals before games that they 194 00:12:33,120 --> 00:12:37,840 Speaker 1: have to do, which seemed kind of weird, including who 195 00:12:38,080 --> 00:12:41,880 Speaker 1: was it. Let's see Jason Giambi probably saying that wrong 196 00:12:43,080 --> 00:12:46,840 Speaker 1: John by Jason Giambi. Totally cool, Okay, thank you Carolin. 197 00:12:47,120 --> 00:12:50,080 Speaker 1: He was a Rockies first baseman and he would wear 198 00:12:50,120 --> 00:12:52,880 Speaker 1: a golden thong if he found himself in a slump 199 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:55,800 Speaker 1: at the plate. That sounds heavy. And then Moises Alou, 200 00:12:55,880 --> 00:12:59,880 Speaker 1: who was a National League outfielder, would frequently urinate on 201 00:13:00,080 --> 00:13:01,959 Speaker 1: his hands because he thought that it would help him 202 00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:05,240 Speaker 1: hold the bat. Yeah. And then you have Wade Bogs, 203 00:13:05,280 --> 00:13:08,160 Speaker 1: who would scrap, among so many other things that he did. 204 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:10,800 Speaker 1: He would scratch the Hebrew word for life in the 205 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:13,719 Speaker 1: dirt before every ad bat and made sure to eat 206 00:13:13,800 --> 00:13:17,480 Speaker 1: chicken before every game. Yes, I also wear golden thong 207 00:13:17,520 --> 00:13:22,520 Speaker 1: and eat chicken before coming into the studio. So she's 208 00:13:22,520 --> 00:13:26,360 Speaker 1: actually wearing the thong over her clothes. Um. Yeah, And 209 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:29,400 Speaker 1: Michael Jordan's I feel like this is a commonly sided 210 00:13:29,440 --> 00:13:31,920 Speaker 1: thing as far as superstitions go. He wore his college 211 00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:35,400 Speaker 1: shorts under his NBA uniform. And then there's Lebron James 212 00:13:35,600 --> 00:13:38,960 Speaker 1: who performs some weird complex ritual that ends with him 213 00:13:39,000 --> 00:13:42,720 Speaker 1: throwing chalk dust into the air. Maybe we should try 214 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:48,040 Speaker 1: that before the podcast. Ye. So yeah, all of these, 215 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:52,600 Speaker 1: all these rituals that these successful athletes are performing, the 216 00:13:52,720 --> 00:13:55,840 Speaker 1: question is does it work? And one of the reasons 217 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:57,920 Speaker 1: why we wanted to do this podcast was because we 218 00:13:58,040 --> 00:14:02,240 Speaker 1: ran across a study from two thousand ten publishing Psychological 219 00:14:02,240 --> 00:14:09,480 Speaker 1: Science saying that you know what, they actually might help. Yeah, 220 00:14:09,920 --> 00:14:14,480 Speaker 1: that golden thong might be worth well wearing a thong 221 00:14:15,679 --> 00:14:18,959 Speaker 1: if you're a baseball player. Um yeah. And it's not 222 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:26,160 Speaker 1: necessarily the lucky charm itself. It's not attracting cosmic luck 223 00:14:26,280 --> 00:14:30,920 Speaker 1: from the heavens for you necessarily, it's bringing you confidence. Um. 224 00:14:31,200 --> 00:14:35,760 Speaker 1: Psychologist Liesan Damash I might be pronouncing her name wrong. Also, 225 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:38,160 Speaker 1: she's from the University of Cologne and Germany found that 226 00:14:38,200 --> 00:14:42,040 Speaker 1: superstitious thinking directly before a task may boost a person's 227 00:14:42,120 --> 00:14:45,800 Speaker 1: self efficacy. In other words, they're confidence in themselves and 228 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:49,760 Speaker 1: that actually boosts your expectations and your persistence. So if 229 00:14:49,800 --> 00:14:52,720 Speaker 1: you think like, okay, well, if I don't have this 230 00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:54,520 Speaker 1: lucky charm, I'm not going to do as well, you 231 00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:57,960 Speaker 1: might not have confidence, you might lose your concentration. All 232 00:14:58,000 --> 00:15:00,520 Speaker 1: of these athletes who are doing this stuff, it sounds crazy, 233 00:15:00,680 --> 00:15:03,920 Speaker 1: but if it puts them at ease and makes them 234 00:15:04,000 --> 00:15:07,000 Speaker 1: more confident in their abilities, that can actually end up 235 00:15:07,000 --> 00:15:10,440 Speaker 1: helping them perform better. Right, And the way these researchers 236 00:15:10,520 --> 00:15:14,120 Speaker 1: came to that conclusion was in the study entitled keep 237 00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:18,680 Speaker 1: your Fingers Crossed, How Superstition Improves Performance. Uh, they had 238 00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:23,320 Speaker 1: two groups of participants who We're going to have to 239 00:15:23,520 --> 00:15:26,560 Speaker 1: put some golf balls into a hole from like four 240 00:15:26,600 --> 00:15:28,760 Speaker 1: feet away, which, you know what, I'm gonna be honest 241 00:15:28,760 --> 00:15:30,440 Speaker 1: with you, that would be a hard task for me 242 00:15:30,480 --> 00:15:34,040 Speaker 1: to complete golf and I don't get along the hong. 243 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:38,600 Speaker 1: But so half the participants were given these supposedly lucky 244 00:15:38,640 --> 00:15:41,400 Speaker 1: balls and the other half were just, you know, told hey, 245 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:45,200 Speaker 1: just go do this. And then uh, they also repeated 246 00:15:45,240 --> 00:15:49,480 Speaker 1: these exercise where half the participants were told by the facilitator, 247 00:15:49,760 --> 00:15:52,000 Speaker 1: we have our fingers crossed for you. We want you 248 00:15:52,000 --> 00:15:55,560 Speaker 1: to do really well. And for both groups, when there 249 00:15:55,600 --> 00:16:01,560 Speaker 1: was some aspect of luck imbued into this experiment, uh, 250 00:16:01,600 --> 00:16:04,560 Speaker 1: they got an average of two out of ten more 251 00:16:04,640 --> 00:16:08,560 Speaker 1: balls into the whole. And then when they went back 252 00:16:08,720 --> 00:16:12,880 Speaker 1: performed another experiment with two groups again who were asked 253 00:16:12,920 --> 00:16:16,440 Speaker 1: to perform some kind of like concentration and memory task. 254 00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:20,680 Speaker 1: The group that was told to bring a lucky charm 255 00:16:20,720 --> 00:16:23,760 Speaker 1: with them, a personal lucky charm like my grandmother's rings. 256 00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:28,800 Speaker 1: That group also performed better on the concentration and memory 257 00:16:28,840 --> 00:16:30,560 Speaker 1: And they think, like you said, it has something to 258 00:16:30,600 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 1: do with that added boost of confidence, which is grounded 259 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:39,880 Speaker 1: completely in unreality and magical thinking. There's no my grandmother's rings. 260 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:44,240 Speaker 1: I mean, rest her soul. I love grandmother very very much, 261 00:16:44,280 --> 00:16:47,440 Speaker 1: but I know that she's not. You know, she's not 262 00:16:47,480 --> 00:16:50,880 Speaker 1: in these rings somehow like spirit guiding me through the world. 263 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:53,080 Speaker 1: But it's just it's it's it's like a weight off, 264 00:16:53,120 --> 00:16:55,200 Speaker 1: like a tiny even the tiniest weight off your brain. 265 00:16:55,320 --> 00:16:59,200 Speaker 1: Sometimes when you have to perform or something big is 266 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:04,040 Speaker 1: coming up. I can understand how that how that could help. Yeah, well, 267 00:17:04,040 --> 00:17:06,639 Speaker 1: that's what Ellen Langer in the nineteen seventies called the 268 00:17:06,640 --> 00:17:11,840 Speaker 1: illusion of control, where people irrationally overestimate their possibility of 269 00:17:11,840 --> 00:17:14,240 Speaker 1: success if they had a sense that they could control 270 00:17:14,280 --> 00:17:19,080 Speaker 1: the situation, even if those outcomes were random. So anything 271 00:17:19,280 --> 00:17:21,520 Speaker 1: including you know, for these athletes like we said, anything 272 00:17:21,520 --> 00:17:24,640 Speaker 1: that gives you that sense of I got this can 273 00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:28,080 Speaker 1: help you perform better. Yeah. In two thousand eleven, UH, 274 00:17:28,280 --> 00:17:32,320 Speaker 1: CNN covered this phenomenon and they talked to Greg Steinberg, 275 00:17:32,359 --> 00:17:34,679 Speaker 1: who is the author of the book Full Throttle and 276 00:17:34,800 --> 00:17:38,639 Speaker 1: a professor of human performance at Austin Peace State University, 277 00:17:39,080 --> 00:17:42,840 Speaker 1: and uh he talked about this aspect of you know, 278 00:17:42,880 --> 00:17:46,439 Speaker 1: the athletic rituals, and he says that when you do 279 00:17:46,520 --> 00:17:49,240 Speaker 1: something that's superstitious, like wearing a trinket, it gives you 280 00:17:49,600 --> 00:17:52,960 Speaker 1: that greater sense of control. And if you're an athletic trainer, 281 00:17:53,480 --> 00:17:57,000 Speaker 1: you are probably not going to discourage your uh, your 282 00:17:57,040 --> 00:17:59,880 Speaker 1: picture from eating that bucket of chicken before the game 283 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:03,160 Speaker 1: if he's winning, even though you know, maybe nutritionally doesn't 284 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:05,200 Speaker 1: need to eat a bucket of chicken, or hey, dude, 285 00:18:05,560 --> 00:18:07,639 Speaker 1: you know writing Hebrew on the mound. That's not going 286 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:09,480 Speaker 1: to do anything for your game. But if he's doing 287 00:18:09,520 --> 00:18:13,000 Speaker 1: it and it's in his brain or her brain, uh, 288 00:18:13,119 --> 00:18:16,480 Speaker 1: you don't want to change that routine. Yeah, there's one 289 00:18:16,640 --> 00:18:19,560 Speaker 1: there's one superstition that seems to be catching on in 290 00:18:19,600 --> 00:18:22,080 Speaker 1: the athletic world, and that is this wasn't from the 291 00:18:22,160 --> 00:18:25,760 Speaker 1: same same CNN story that Christen is talking about. It 292 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:31,640 Speaker 1: talks about these fighting necklaces, Fighting, Fighting, Fighting. They're basically like, 293 00:18:32,560 --> 00:18:36,720 Speaker 1: just I feel like these people are getting ripped off. Um. 294 00:18:36,880 --> 00:18:40,960 Speaker 1: They are these necklaces that are made from fabric and 295 00:18:41,640 --> 00:18:45,080 Speaker 1: have metals woven into them. But the manufacturer claims that 296 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:48,160 Speaker 1: the jewelry gives athletes and edge with the special technology, 297 00:18:48,240 --> 00:18:52,560 Speaker 1: which apparently involves metals being broken down into microscopic particles 298 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:58,120 Speaker 1: dispersed in water. Uh so this is supposedly supposed to 299 00:18:58,200 --> 00:19:01,119 Speaker 1: like fix all your electric herrns in your body that 300 00:19:01,200 --> 00:19:04,960 Speaker 1: gets screwed up when you're stressed out or exercising or something, 301 00:19:06,000 --> 00:19:09,679 Speaker 1: or you know. Connecticut College professor Stewart Vice says Fighting 302 00:19:09,760 --> 00:19:13,760 Speaker 1: has used a pseudo scientific appeal in making their products. 303 00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:16,119 Speaker 1: There's actually no science to back it up. But it 304 00:19:16,119 --> 00:19:18,280 Speaker 1: goes back to the whole thing of like, well, if 305 00:19:18,320 --> 00:19:21,560 Speaker 1: these athletes feel like they're performing better with it, you 306 00:19:21,560 --> 00:19:25,960 Speaker 1: shouldn't stop them from using it. However, it's you're kind 307 00:19:25,960 --> 00:19:28,560 Speaker 1: of ripping people off. We'll see. That's that's the thing 308 00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:33,480 Speaker 1: that Catch twenty two of understanding the science of superstition 309 00:19:34,040 --> 00:19:39,879 Speaker 1: and lucky charms, because uh, you know, the magical thinking, 310 00:19:39,920 --> 00:19:43,199 Speaker 1: the magical belief, and that illusion of control is what 311 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:48,760 Speaker 1: actually potentially gives you some kind of edge. Um. And 312 00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:50,760 Speaker 1: also we should back this up by saying, like, these 313 00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:53,320 Speaker 1: athletes are also successful because they put the time and 314 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:56,960 Speaker 1: the work in. Obviously it takes preparation, but you have 315 00:19:57,080 --> 00:20:01,720 Speaker 1: this edge given to you with this psychology of magical thinking. 316 00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:04,920 Speaker 1: But then it's like, once you understand what's going on, 317 00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:10,320 Speaker 1: doesn't that take away the potential uh magical properties of 318 00:20:10,359 --> 00:20:13,600 Speaker 1: these things that we carry around our rabbit's feet in 319 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:20,160 Speaker 1: our pocket. It's a little ironic sciences by and got 320 00:20:20,160 --> 00:20:22,199 Speaker 1: to be such a buzz kill all the time. But 321 00:20:22,280 --> 00:20:24,000 Speaker 1: I think it's interesting though. I mean, like, I'm not 322 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:27,080 Speaker 1: going to stop knocking on what would when I catch 323 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:30,240 Speaker 1: myself like saying something that I don't want to not 324 00:20:30,320 --> 00:20:34,119 Speaker 1: be true? Or wearing my grandmother's necklaces on a day 325 00:20:34,160 --> 00:20:37,120 Speaker 1: if I'm particularly nervous, Yeah, are wearing my grandmother's ring 326 00:20:37,119 --> 00:20:39,320 Speaker 1: if I think I'm going to get in a fight. Yeah. 327 00:20:39,520 --> 00:20:43,000 Speaker 1: So I don't know. I think it's uh, it's it's 328 00:20:43,040 --> 00:20:46,080 Speaker 1: fun to explore and it's interesting to see how we 329 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:53,040 Speaker 1: almost will trick ourselves too, you know, perform better. Hey, 330 00:20:53,040 --> 00:20:57,760 Speaker 1: whatever works as long as it's not steroids. Right, Yeah, 331 00:20:57,800 --> 00:21:02,280 Speaker 1: there's a message for the kids, long as it's not steroids. Um. So, 332 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:07,200 Speaker 1: I hope you had fun with this little superstitious podcast. 333 00:21:07,560 --> 00:21:09,600 Speaker 1: And we want to hear from folks out there. I mean, 334 00:21:09,600 --> 00:21:13,200 Speaker 1: do you have a lucky charm that has been proven 335 00:21:13,400 --> 00:21:18,399 Speaker 1: time and again to bring you successful results? Yeah? Like 336 00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:22,080 Speaker 1: my my roommate, for instance, all through college, every U 337 00:21:22,119 --> 00:21:23,880 Speaker 1: G A game he went to, he wore the same 338 00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:27,800 Speaker 1: shirt and would only would only wash it at the 339 00:21:27,880 --> 00:21:31,080 Speaker 1: end of the season and he yea. We went to 340 00:21:31,119 --> 00:21:33,159 Speaker 1: a Braves game together not too long ago, and he 341 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:36,199 Speaker 1: wore a new Brave jersey for the first time and 342 00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:38,560 Speaker 1: they won and it was fantastic and Chipper Jones had 343 00:21:38,560 --> 00:21:40,920 Speaker 1: like a bajillion home runs and he was like, I'm 344 00:21:40,960 --> 00:21:43,679 Speaker 1: never wearing another jersey to a Braves game. It's like, oh, 345 00:21:43,720 --> 00:21:49,200 Speaker 1: you might be psychologically unstable according to this research. No, well, 346 00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:52,199 Speaker 1: just a little magical thinking, little magical thing. Come on, 347 00:21:52,240 --> 00:21:54,120 Speaker 1: we all need a little magical thinking in our life, 348 00:21:54,200 --> 00:21:57,760 Speaker 1: right sure, Hey, the stakes are the stakes are high. 349 00:21:57,920 --> 00:22:00,719 Speaker 1: He feels like he needs to do whatever we can 350 00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:03,840 Speaker 1: to help the team at least he's not talking about Bigfoot, right, 351 00:22:03,960 --> 00:22:06,639 Speaker 1: that's true, or UFOs and at least he's not on 352 00:22:06,680 --> 00:22:10,760 Speaker 1: steroids either. Solve these things good, No, send us your 353 00:22:10,840 --> 00:22:15,280 Speaker 1: lucky Charms stories, mom. Stuff at Discovery dot com is 354 00:22:15,320 --> 00:22:18,159 Speaker 1: where you can send them. And we have a couple 355 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:26,320 Speaker 1: letters to share with you right now. So I've got 356 00:22:26,320 --> 00:22:28,639 Speaker 1: one here from Liz and she's writing in response to 357 00:22:28,640 --> 00:22:31,680 Speaker 1: our episode on why are Humans Helpful? And she said, 358 00:22:31,680 --> 00:22:34,080 Speaker 1: I'm a little disappointed you didn't mention the work of 359 00:22:34,119 --> 00:22:38,600 Speaker 1: evolutionary biologist Joan rough Garden. She's been a professor at 360 00:22:38,640 --> 00:22:41,240 Speaker 1: Stanford for over forty years and a vocal critic of 361 00:22:41,240 --> 00:22:44,680 Speaker 1: the idea that selfishness lies at the core of natural selection. 362 00:22:45,119 --> 00:22:47,760 Speaker 1: In her social selection theory, she argues that instead of 363 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:51,280 Speaker 1: selfishness driving individuals to have as many offspring as possible 364 00:22:51,600 --> 00:22:55,840 Speaker 1: sexual selection, the main force driving evolution is cooperation between 365 00:22:55,840 --> 00:22:59,040 Speaker 1: members of the same species to create a stable environment 366 00:22:59,080 --> 00:23:02,200 Speaker 1: for offspring to read reproductive age. After all, it doesn't 367 00:23:02,200 --> 00:23:04,160 Speaker 1: matter how many offspring you have if they all die 368 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:07,719 Speaker 1: before passing on their genes themselves. In her book Evolutions, 369 00:23:07,800 --> 00:23:10,480 Speaker 1: Rainbow and the Genial Gene, she also argues against the 370 00:23:10,520 --> 00:23:14,200 Speaker 1: idea proposed by sexual selection that males are naturally driven 371 00:23:14,240 --> 00:23:18,000 Speaker 1: to promiscuity and females to monogamy, and presents an exhaustive 372 00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:21,119 Speaker 1: list of examples from nature that refute this narrative. She 373 00:23:21,200 --> 00:23:23,840 Speaker 1: goes on to criticize sexual selection for its inability to 374 00:23:23,880 --> 00:23:27,480 Speaker 1: explain things like same sex sexuality, which has been observed 375 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:30,800 Speaker 1: in over three hundred species. Her theory is not without 376 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:33,560 Speaker 1: its detractors, but her ideas are, in my opinion, at least, 377 00:23:33,840 --> 00:23:36,560 Speaker 1: some of the most interesting and important to come of 378 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:43,000 Speaker 1: evolutionary biology in a long time. So yeah, Joan Rough Garden, evolutions, rainbow, 379 00:23:43,119 --> 00:23:46,240 Speaker 1: and the genial gene. Okay, here's an email from Drew 380 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:49,119 Speaker 1: in response to our Romances podcast from a couple of 381 00:23:49,160 --> 00:23:52,359 Speaker 1: months back. He said, being gay, it is probably not 382 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:55,880 Speaker 1: surprising that my two closest friends are women. However, aside 383 00:23:55,880 --> 00:23:58,320 Speaker 1: from these two most intimate friendships, the majority of my 384 00:23:58,359 --> 00:24:00,720 Speaker 1: friends happen to be straight men. I have found that 385 00:24:00,760 --> 00:24:03,159 Speaker 1: not only are these men perfectly okay with developing a 386 00:24:03,160 --> 00:24:06,080 Speaker 1: close friendship with me, but they're also greatly intrigued by 387 00:24:06,119 --> 00:24:08,360 Speaker 1: gay culture. I have taken them all out to gay 388 00:24:08,359 --> 00:24:10,760 Speaker 1: clubs on several occasions, and each time they have all 389 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:13,760 Speaker 1: thoroughly enjoyed themselves. While none of them have any sexual 390 00:24:13,800 --> 00:24:15,520 Speaker 1: interest in men, they have all told me that gay 391 00:24:15,520 --> 00:24:17,960 Speaker 1: clubs provide a much more relaxed environment in which they 392 00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:20,480 Speaker 1: can dance without the pressures they find at stray clubs. 393 00:24:21,040 --> 00:24:23,719 Speaker 1: From my own experiences, my face to face friendships are 394 00:24:23,720 --> 00:24:26,320 Speaker 1: primarily with women, while my side to side friendships are 395 00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:28,399 Speaker 1: with men. In this day and age, I like to 396 00:24:28,440 --> 00:24:30,639 Speaker 1: think we gays are getting the best of both worlds 397 00:24:30,640 --> 00:24:33,520 Speaker 1: when it comes to friendships. I appreciate the deep emotional 398 00:24:33,520 --> 00:24:36,040 Speaker 1: connections I share with my girlfriends just as much as 399 00:24:36,040 --> 00:24:39,119 Speaker 1: the shared bond I've developed with my rock climbing turned 400 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:43,639 Speaker 1: gay club enthused buddies. Excellent jin thanks to everyone who 401 00:24:43,720 --> 00:24:46,520 Speaker 1: has written in mom Stuff at discovery dot com is 402 00:24:46,520 --> 00:24:48,639 Speaker 1: where you can send us your letters. You can also 403 00:24:48,840 --> 00:24:51,680 Speaker 1: find us on Facebook. We'll leave us a message they're 404 00:24:51,880 --> 00:24:54,600 Speaker 1: like as if you would, and follow us on Twitter 405 00:24:54,720 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 1: at Mom's Stuff podcast. And if you want to learn 406 00:24:58,840 --> 00:25:01,960 Speaker 1: more about tad news and superstitions, you can head on 407 00:25:02,119 --> 00:25:09,440 Speaker 1: over to our website at shaw stuff works dot com 408 00:25:09,480 --> 00:25:11,920 Speaker 1: for more on this and thousands of other topics. Is 409 00:25:11,960 --> 00:25:18,800 Speaker 1: it how stuff works dot Com brought to you by 410 00:25:18,800 --> 00:25:22,240 Speaker 1: the reinvented two thousand twelve camera. It's ready, are you