Superstitions can provide comfort, but they can also penetrate through thick walls of common sense. Although irrational, these beliefs give many a false sense of control over their lives.
Aside from the solace that one might obtain from superstitions, they might also be used as a scapegoat. “I think they’re like a coping mechanism,” said Upper School junior Payton Yagoda. “If you do bad or you do good, it’s not an excuse, but ‘Oh the reason I did this was because of blank…’ If you do lose, then it’s a coping mechanism, but if you win it’s like, ‘Now I can carry this on into my next match or next game.”
Regardless of the irrationality of these thoughts, superstitions may provide people with confidence that does end up improving their performance. False confidence in the end is no different than genuine confidence. “My mini-superstition is when I’m studying for a quiz or a test, the pencil that I’m studying with for that quiz or test has to be the pencil that I use… That’s the way I’ll get a good grade,” senior Libi Horn said. “When I can’t find my pencil that I studied with, I automatically do worse.”
There are also common superstitions, almost comparable to urban myths, that drive some away from certain circumstances due to negative connotations. “I definitely do not walk under ladders. No way. Bad luck,” said Upper School history teacher Andrew Bigelow. “When I see a ladder, I will walk all the way into the street to avoid walking under that ladder.”
On the flip side, some think of superstitions as something to taunt. “Every Friday the thirteenth, I get a flying pig tattoo,” Art/Shop/Stage-Set Design Teacher Nick Rupard said. “I just think superstitions are funny. People just believe in them and then don’t walk under a ladder. Like, why wouldn’t you walk under a ladder? So I’ve always joked and made fun of superstitions. And the number thirteen is one of them.”
Ultimately, why do these old wives’ tales still exist? “Humans crave some sense of control in a world that feels totally out of control. Sometimes people look to certain traditions, like superstitions, to give them some sense of control,” Upper School Counselor Kirstin Williams said.
Humans crave authority over what happens to them. This frequently results in jumping through some unfounded hoops, like believing in luck in the context of karma or fate. “We have no control over those by definition, yet as humans we are always seeking ways to bring favor our way,”Upper School history teacher Jeanne Barr said. Superstitions are “a cultural transmission. That’s why I believe that superstitions are important – not because they’re true, and not because they have any influence on events, but they’re cultural. They tie us to our heritage.”
