Superstition’s Compulsive Grip

Although science has shown most superstitions to be fallacy, superstitious fears can arise in anyone – even in intelligent and sane people who feel threatened by forces that lie beyond their control.

People fear what they don’t understand and from this fear certain rituals (or superstitions) arise as a way of protecting themselves from bad luck. People acknowledge their “silly” feelings even if they laugh at themselves for doing so – perhaps when experiencing some anxiety over a broken mirror or crossing their fingers.

That vague, nagging feeling that supernatural or magical forces could be influencing events in our lives must have been much stronger in our ancestors who lived in a world that teemed with hostile spirits.

Source: Independent Online