why do people follow/believe in superstitions?

Question

what makes them follow it? specific reasons..

Answer 1

This question is far more complex than you might think...

And before I even begin to touch on it I would highly reccommend that you read Michael Shermer's books "Why People Believe Weird Things" and/or "How We Believe", where he attempts to explain the very existence of our belief "engine" (from evolutionary, biological, chemical, and psychological (cultural) influences).

First off, we need to understand that intelligence is itself very complex and dynamic; someone could be considered very "smart" in one domain (say math) and at the same time be "dumb" in another (maybe literature). This often has to do with such things as: exposure (to the subject/domain), interest in it, time spent on it... and so on. (Keep in mind that measurements from such sources as an I.Q. test ONLY refer to a small, static subset of possible domains - not an "overall ability" - not a very good judge of much really). And understand that people who believe in supernatural things are not any "dumber" than the rest of us (perhaps just "less experienced" in reasoning out these claims?)

Though it is difficult to be specific (we all have reasons to believe in things) some possible reasons why people believe these things:

Humans have an uncanny need for control; for explanations to the phenomena we experience, and further, have a real knack at creating them (often based upon insufficient evidence or our misperceptions). We can allow our imaginations to get the best of us in such circumstances.

Certainly many people experience "something strange" at various times in their lives, but though this often just turns out to be simply a natural occurrence, THEY cannot currently explain it.

Further, our past experiences, preexisting beliefs (including fears), limited sensory ability and our faulty reasoning influence our behavior and explanations. This faulty reasoning includes several common errors we are all guilty of at times:

Appeal to authority; Appeal to group; Appeal to Ignorance; Believing the (currently) unexplained is UN-explainable; After-the-Fact Reasoning -mistaking correlation (two events coinciding) with causation (one event influencing the second; Misunderstanding Probability; Misunderstanding Science principles; and this list goes on... (for a more complete list please refer to Shermer's Book - see first link)

Remember, as humans, we can have faulty reasoning, we can have delusions (or daydreams) that are, effectively, "real" to us (a natural occurrence), we can mistake what we see/hear/feel (ask any magician) and we likely won't be able to readily explain everything we experience. It is when we try to with incomplete/mistaken evidence that we can get into trouble...

But, I have found, that even all of this explanation (my tirade, the websites, the books) will not "convert" most true believers from superstitions because, after all, it is what they WANT to be true that matters most to them, not reality.

Answer 2

Superstitions for the most part were based on the experiences of others who associated the terrible thing that happened in their life to something that then bacame the superstition. Because of this it is hard to determine what superstition has some sort of scientific basis or doesn't. Why do we still hold to those superstitions today? Fear. Fear is what makes us do all kinds of crazy things. If you break a mirror do you want to have 7 years of bad luck, or would you rather be extra cautious when handling mirrors. I bet the majority of people will just be more cautious because they are not sure if it's true or not and don't want to be the one to find out. There is also the psychological affect it has on people. Let's take the mirror example. You can break that mirror and convince yourself that all that bad luck that has happened in the last 7 years of your life is because of it, and truely believe that. Is it factual? How would you know? That's why we're cautious.

Answer 3

The only superstition that i observe is not to walk under ladders .. and it really has more to do with common sense than superstition ....

if there is a ladder .. there might be a tradesman/person .. and he might be painting or hammering or something along those lines ... the further away from the ladder i am .. the less likely i am going to be donked on the head with a hammer or some other tool or covered in paint If things fall down from where the ladder is reaching too ...

OTHER than that .. bring on the black cats and number 13 :)

Answer 4

There is a very inteligent being called Lucifer who is also nicknamed or given the title of Father of Lies. He is the one who has gone around all these times deceiving people and will continue to do so until he and all his followers will be cosumed in fire that will also at the same time cleanse this world of the results and effects of his deceptions.

John 8:44 "You are of [your] father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own [resources], for he is a liar and the father of it. "

2 Peter 3:7 But the heavens and the earth [which] are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

20:7 Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison
20:8 and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number [is] as the sand of the sea.
20:9 They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.
20:10 The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet [are]. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Answer 5

why are ppl prejudice ,why do ppl like certain kinds of foods ,
Its handed down in familys and cultures through the milennia
man at 1st knew nothing and explained things happening through whatever bs they could dream up
do you think 13 is unlucky hmmmmmmmm the chinese lean towards 4 and have 13th floors and such in buildings except where westerners may use them out of respect for the (kwilos )white westerner devils ,,,,,lol superstition
walking under ladders ? well if you are in construction you are not going to get much done avoiding them or not going under them to get from 1 place 2 another ,,,,but everyone there knows and ignores that 1 for the most part ,,but i have seen some that do avoid them

Answer 6

I come from a superstitious family. For us, it's really more about the fun than the actual superstition. I can't speak for other people, but we have the superstitions for the fun and interest than anything else.

Answer 7

some people are born into that way of life. usually if you have parents or grandparents that are superstitious the children most likely believe in it also. however, some people are just naturally interested in it because it is different and out of the ordinary.

Answer 8

i don't believe in superstitions i believe in supernatural those guys are HOT!!!!!!

Answer 9

they just want something to blame for all the bad stuff that happen to them

Answer 10

because they are idiots