WEBVTT - Did Humans Evolve To Be Superstitious?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey

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<v Speaker 1>brain Stuff Lauren bog Obam here. Every culture has its

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<v Speaker 1>own superstitions, or magical thinking, as some psychologists call it.

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<v Speaker 1>Superstitious beliefs go back as far as human history, and

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<v Speaker 1>they still exist today, from sports stars who perform certain

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<v Speaker 1>rituals before games to people who won't walk under a

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<v Speaker 1>ladder or who always knock on wood for luck. Many

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<v Speaker 1>of us even do these things without thinking. That's how

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<v Speaker 1>ingrained in our behaviors superstitions are. If superstitions go back

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<v Speaker 1>so far in history and remain so common, is it

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<v Speaker 1>possible that humans evolved to think this way. Some scientists

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<v Speaker 1>and psychologists say yes, we are indeed wired for magical thinking.

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<v Speaker 1>Superstitious thinking is the result of falsely linking a cause

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<v Speaker 1>to an effect. Using the sports example, if a baseball

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<v Speaker 1>player hits a home run during a playoff game and

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<v Speaker 1>happened to not shave that day, he may decide his

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<v Speaker 1>unshaven face brought him luck and refused to shave for

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<v Speaker 1>the rest of the series. In reality, it was his

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<v Speaker 1>skill as a ballplayer and a little bit of chance

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<v Speaker 1>that brought him that home run. But he's not going

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<v Speaker 1>to take any risks, and the comfort of believing that

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<v Speaker 1>he may have some control over his destiny may actually

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<v Speaker 1>improve his performance. But back to evolution. In prehistoric times,

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<v Speaker 1>humans had to be constantly alert for predators. The sound

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<v Speaker 1>of wrestling in the grass, for example, might signify an

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<v Speaker 1>animal or enemy preparing to strike. On the other hand,

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<v Speaker 1>it could just be a breeze. However, for self preservation,

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<v Speaker 1>this human had to decide quickly the cost of being

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<v Speaker 1>right or wrong about the origin of the wrestling Airing

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<v Speaker 1>on the side of caution could save their life, and

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<v Speaker 1>if they were right and it was a dangerous predator,

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<v Speaker 1>chances are that human would flee without weighing the chances

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<v Speaker 1>when they heard wrestling any time after that. Further, if

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<v Speaker 1>multiple signals preceded the arrival of a predator, such as

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<v Speaker 1>a full moon, our prehistoric friend might also make the

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<v Speaker 1>false association that a rustling sound during a full moon

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<v Speaker 1>definitely meant a dangerous animal was in the vicinity from

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<v Speaker 1>a very real threat, a superstition is born. Our brains

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<v Speaker 1>connect the dots in a situation, whether or not it's logical,

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<v Speaker 1>and we adapt our behavior accordingly. Even other animals besides

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<v Speaker 1>humans are superstitious. Evolutionary biologist Kevin Foster uses pigeons as

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<v Speaker 1>an example. You might notice that if you clap your

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<v Speaker 1>hands at a nearby pigeon, it'll quickly fly away, even

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<v Speaker 1>though pigeons are pretty smart. No really, they are smart

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<v Speaker 1>enough anyway to tell the difference between the sound of

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<v Speaker 1>a gunshot, which would mean near certain death, and a

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<v Speaker 1>hand clap, which is harmless. The pigeon will flee the

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<v Speaker 1>scene just in case. The pigeon evolved, just like our ancestors,

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<v Speaker 1>to be better safe than sorry, And if you think

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<v Speaker 1>about it, the theory of natural selection favors these early

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<v Speaker 1>superstitious creatures humans and animals alike. Sometimes, however, superstitions can

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<v Speaker 1>contribute towards eyes. A two thousand three studies showed that

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<v Speaker 1>road fatalities in South Africa were ten times more frequent

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<v Speaker 1>than in the United States. Much of this is blamed

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<v Speaker 1>on a superstitious belief that accidents result from witchcraft or

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<v Speaker 1>that certain medicines can prevent car crashes. The more superstitious

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<v Speaker 1>the driver, the higher the accident rate. This goes to

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<v Speaker 1>show that, like the fight or flight response triggered by stress,

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<v Speaker 1>are ingrained tendencies for superstitious beliefs can be just as

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<v Speaker 1>likely to work to our detriment as to our benefit.

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<v Speaker 1>Today's episode was written by Deborah Ranca and produced by

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<v Speaker 1>Tyler Clang. Brain Stuff is production of I Heart Radio's

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<v Speaker 1>How Stuff Works. For more on this and lots of

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<v Speaker 1>other evolving topics, visit our home planet, how Stuff Works

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