superstition

thumb|Witch-hunting is commonly motivated by religious superstition; pictured is an imaginative depiction of the [[Salem Witch Trials|240x240px]] A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural. It is commonly applied to beliefs and practices surrounding luck, fate, magic, amulets, astrology, fortune telling, spirits, and certain paranormal entities, particularly the belief that future events can be foretold by specific unrelated prior events.

AI overview

A superstition is any belief or practice that is considered irrational or supernatural by those who don't follow it, such as beliefs about luck, magic, fortune-telling, or the idea that unrelated events can predict the future. Superstitions matter because they can significantly influence people's decisions and actions, sometimes motivating harmful practices like witch-hunting, and they reveal how people try to understand and control uncertainty in their lives.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Research

3,629 papers

P values: from suggestion to superstition.ReviewJournal of investigative medicine : the official publication of the American Federation for Clinical Research · 2016Concato J, Hartigan JADOI: 10.1136/jim-2016-000206
SUPERSTITION.University of Toronto undergraduate dental journal · 1965ANDERSON F
Infection calls for thrombosis: Fact or superstition?Artificial organs · 2023Pektok EDOI: 10.1111/aor.14383
Superstition in the pigeon.Journal of experimental psychology · 1948SKINNER BFDOI: 10.1037/h0055873
Breaking magic: Foreign language suppresses superstition.Quarterly journal of experimental psychology (2006) · 2019Hadjichristidis C, Geipel J, Surian LDOI: 10.1080/17470218.2017.1371780
Superstition revisited: Sex, species, and adventitious reinforcement.Behavioural processes · 2020Fernandez EJ, Timberlake WDOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2019.103979
Superstition predicts perception of illusory control.British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953) · 2019Griffiths O, Shehabi N, Murphy RA et al.DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12344
Superstition and post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage.The Laryngoscope · 2004Kumar VV, Kumar NV, Isaacson GDOI: 10.1097/01.mlg.0000147942.82626.1c

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Wikidata facts

Image: Stegna Στεγνά Rhodes Ρόδος 2019-11-26 27 cat.jpg

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Commons category: Superstitions
P8168: Taşıtlı

Sources (3)

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~25 min read

Article

25 sections

Contents

Contemporary use
Alternative religious beliefs as superstition
Classifications
Criticism of definitions
Subjective perceptions
Etymology
Superstition and psychology
Origins
Behaviorism perspective
Evolutionary/cognitive perspective
Mechanisms
Occurrence
Consumer behavior
Superstition and politics
Opposition to superstition
Regional and national superstitions
Animals
Numbers
Objects
Actions
See also
Bibliography
References
Further reading
External links

The word superstition is also used to refer to a religion not practiced by the majority of a given society regardless of whether the prevailing religion contains alleged superstitions or to all religions by the antireligious.