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Superstitions in Society
Superstitions play a key role in society. The use of superstition can have great impacts on the human brain.

Etymology
The origins of the word superstition and the word superstitious are closely linked. Originally the word superstitious referred to religion. The word superstitious was used to indicate religious beliefs. The more prevalent use of the word today, meaning superstition in the sense of “unreasonable notion” wasn’t developed until the 18th century. Superstition, as well as superstitious, was derived from the Old French word superstition, superstitieux, or directly from the Latin word superstitio which meant “prophecy, soothsaying, or excessive fear of the gods.”  It’s original meaning was perhaps “state of religious exaltation.”  It is also closely linked to the word superstes, meaning “standing over or above,” or “standing by, surviving”. Also the word superstare, which means “stand on or over, survive”. The word superstare comes from super, meaning above, and stare which means to stand. Many theories exist as to the Latin sense development of superstitious, but none has yet triumphed.

Psychological Affects
There are varying degrees and many diverse aspects of effect that superstition has on the mind. In his study, Skinner states that “Superstitious behaviours can be defined as actions (or inactions) that are given in order to affect the probability that a beneficial outcome occurs when, in fact, there is no causal relationship between the action and the outcome”.

Logic of Superstition
Another study states that superstition is generally created when people base their actions on exploiting the information they receive from a situation instead of exploring it. The study model they used suggests that superstitions that involve carrying small, lightweight lucky charms might persist because the same general learning rules for identifying causal relationships in other settings are advantageous, while in the model they do next to no harm. Similarly avoiding the number 13 may impose a relatively small cost with potentially large benefit, which might explain why this superstition persists. .

Superstitions could also be related to the use of inductive logic in human beings. A study done in Northern Italy suggests that human beings tend to infer traits from behavior rather than vice versa. The article of the study states “Although participants showed good memory for behavioral information in general, they frequently erred by indicating that they had seen a trait that had been implied by a behavior.” This demonstrates how human beings are more inclined to infer that by certain actions (such as crossing fingers) it is more probable to receive positive results. .

Memory
Further studies have additionally shown that as individuals describe events that occurred farther distant in time, they are more likely to speak of memory in an abstract way, or in other words more adjectives will be used. Gün R. Semin and Eliot R. Smith state that: “abstract predicates (e.g., adjectives) are most appropriate to mark distant past events, whereas concrete predicates are more used to describe events in the not so distant past.”.

Hence behavior memory is stronger than trait memory. Consequently this could account for the development of superstitions in diverse cultures around the world and why superstitions continue strong in the modern age.

Superstition in Performance
Superstition can also affect performance. Many superstitions involve carrying lucky charms or making hand gestures (such as crossing fingers) to gain good luck. Studies have also shown that good-luck-related superstitions cause better performance in individuals. In several different experiments individuals performed better when they had a lucky charm with them. Participants with their lucky charms also reported higher levels of self-efficacy than participants who had no lucky charm. The Lucky charm did not affect the reported degree of anxiety of the participants. Also, the conditions did not vary with respect to reported mood. .

Common Superstitions
There are a variety of common superstitions that are widely known throughout the world. Redheads have many suspicions about them all throughout history. A few superstitions are that redheads don’t have souls. In addition, red hair shows dishonesty and in some places it is believed that bees will sting redheads more. Redheads are often affiliated with sin, or the devil. Another subject that has various superstitions around it is the mirror. Some traditions say that if a child, before it is a year old, obtains a glimpse of its own face in a mirror, it will not live. Another common superstition is that breaking a mirror is certain death to the individual responsible for the breaking. The person will die in less than a year's time, according to the myth.

In his article, Keinan states that “the superstitious belief that knocking on wood provides protection against the evil eye or “hostile” forces assumes an ability to achieve certain physical effects in a manner not governed by known principles of transmission of energy or information.”

Obviously there is a strong presence of superstition in our culture today. Another example of superstitions that continue today is the subject of black cats. Black cats have swarms of superstitions about them. Some of them are positive and some are negative. In Ireland a black cat crossing one's path by moonlight meant death in an epidemic. In Britain, on the Yorkshire coast, wives of fishermen believed that their menfolk would return safely if a black cat was kept in the house. Another superstition is that a black cat in the audience on opening night portends a successful play. In the south of France they refer to black cats as "matagots" or "magician cats." According to local superstition, they bring good luck to owners who feed them well and treat them well. In Normandy, seeing a tortoiseshell cat predicts death by accident. “English schoolchildren believe seeing a white cat on the way to school is sure to bring trouble. To avert bad luck, they must either spit, or turn around completely and make the sign of the cross.” Other superstitions include that a cat sneezing is a good omen for everyone who hears it. An English superstition is that if a cat washes behind its ears then rain is approaching. Sailors used to believe that if a ship's cat mewed or appeared to be cross then they would have a hard voyage ahead of them. However, if it is bright and lively, there will be a brisk following wind. Sailors also held that a contrary wind at sea could be raised by shutting a cat in a canister.