PROTECTIVE CODE: How Superstitions Help the Brain Work Better
Photo by Clément Falize on Unsplash
No matter how much progress science and technology achieve, rational thinking still struggles to take hold. We must honestly admit that in the 21st century, we are no less superstitious than in previous centuries. But what does modern science think about the nature of superstitions? Why does belief in omens remain so significant for us?
SUPERSTITION – AN UNCONSCIOUS MOTIVE?
Scientists have various hypotheses regarding the psychological meaning of superstitions. As with all matters concerning the darker depths of the human soul, the «father of psychoanalysis», Sigmund Freud, holds the leading position.
He considered superstitions to be the result of projection — the unconscious transfer of internal motives to the external world. People generally have only a vague awareness of the true causes behind their actions. This is where superstition steps in to help.
Since recognizing the real cause is difficult, the search for a satisfactory explanation shifts responsibility outward. It is easier to blame external circumstances for misfortunes rather than ourselves — whether it be a black cat crossing the road or an empty bucket in the hands of a passerby.
Thousands of years ago, humans devised an effective way to cope with the anxiety of not being able to control everything. Thus, protective magic was born.
THE SACRED «BOUNDARY»
To practice this magic, sacred objects were needed — such as the «holy tree». Knock on wood, ask the tree spirit for help, and nothing bad will happen. Equally sacred were boundary spaces: crossroads, field borders, rivers, mirrors, twilight — the time between day and night.
One should never joke about the boundary between the human world and the beyond, which lies outside our control. That’s why it’s not recommended to pass objects over a threshold. If you forget something and return home to retrieve it, you should look in the mirror. And heaven forbid you break this «portal» — otherwise, misfortune will follow you for seven years!
Remember, in the evening, when the world is enveloped in the «borderline» twilight, it is also not advisable to lend or borrow money. The in-between realm is a special space — it is neither here nor there. If, for instance, an infant dies unbaptized, what should be done? They are barred from entering heaven, yet they do not belong to the world of the living either. The only solution is to bury them under the threshold.
DO SUPERSTITIONS HELP EVEN NON-BELIEVERS?
If you think that such mystical beliefs were confined to some remote and uneducated rural communities, you are mistaken. Superstitions affect even highly educated, intelligent, talented, and successful people.
When one of the founders of modern physics, Niels Bohr, was asked why he had a horseshoe hanging above his door, he replied: «Of course, I don’t believe that a horseshoe brings good luck. But I’ve heard that it helps whether you believe in it or not».
Even if you are not particularly superstitious — at least no more than Bohr — you will likely still wish someone good health after they sneeze, involuntarily exclaim «Touch wood!» or cross your fingers «for luck».
GOGOL’S «CALL OF DEATH»
The Ukrainian writer Nikolai Gogol was not only well-versed in folk superstitions but also created his own firstly because he grew up in a highly superstitious family. Secondly, his belief in omens only strengthened with age.
Gogol saw «signs of fate» everywhere — an encounter on the street, a bird’s song, the shape of clouds at sunset — everything carried a hidden meaning for him. If he noticed one of these messages from above, he could even cancel a planned trip abroad.
When he learned of the death of Ekaterina Khomyakova, the hostess of a literary salon with whom he felt a deep spiritual connection, Gogol took it as an omen of his own imminent demise.
He died soon after. Throughout his life, Gogol was haunted by a certain «call of death», which he believed had also claimed his father. This eerie premonition found its way into his writing as well. Khomyakova had «called» him, just as Pulcheria Ivanovna had called Afanasiy Ivanovich in Old-World Landowners.
A COMET AS A VIP KILLER
Mark Twain also received a revelation about his death. In November 1835, Halley’s Comet passed through the Solar System. Twain was born just before this celestial event and believed he would leave this world the same way he had entered it. Strangely enough, he died just a few hours after Halley’s Comet returned once again.
Comets have long been regarded as VIP killers. They were blamed for the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BCE, the death of Attila the Hun in 453 CE, and even the passing of Prophet Muhammad, Emperor Louis II, and several Roman popes.
Celestial «special effects» posed a serious threat to earthly rulers. In ancient China, concealing information about such events was considered treason against the emperor. In fact, on October 22, 2137 BCE, when court astrologers failed to predict a solar eclipse, they were executed for high treason.
It remains unclear exactly how these omens and prophecies work when it comes to the world’s most powerful figures, but they seem to work somehow. Perhaps that’s why politicians often pay so much attention to them.
SUPERSTITIOUS POLITICS
Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King, a practitioner of numerology and spiritualism, timed all his meetings to align with the minute hand of the clock. Without this ritual, negotiations were doomed to failure. New Zealand Prime Minister John Key had a different superstition — three white rabbits.
This belief originates from the UK, where it is said that if you say «white rabbit» three times on the first day of the month, it will bring good luck. Now you understand why Alice in Lewis Carroll’s story was so desperate to catch the White Rabbit? John Key believed in this so strongly that he even painted white rabbits on his personal helicopter.
Meanwhile, Irish politician Charles Stewart Parnell was terrified of seeing someone dressed in green, believing it brought misfortune. This fear was particularly ironic given that green is Ireland’s national color, appearing on the country’s flag and symbolizing its freedom from British rule.
THE 20-YEAR PRESIDENTIAL CURSE
Perhaps no country has embraced political superstitions more than the United States. There, a peculiar belief suggests that starting from 1840, every president elected at 20-year intervals has died in office.
The eerie pattern began with William Henry Harrison (elected in 1840) and continued with Abraham Lincoln (1860), James Garfield (1880), William McKinley (1900), Warren Harding (1920), Franklin Roosevelt (1940), and John F. Kennedy (1960).
This cycle of fatal presidencies was only broken in 1980, with Jimmy Carter, who lived to be 100 years old and passed away on December 29, 2024. Many political analysts consider Carter’s presidency to have been lackluster, but given the fate of his predecessors, he may have been more of a lucky survivor than a failure.
WHY DOES MAZEPA SCARE THE POLISH?
Nowhere do superstitions flourish more than in the arts. Actors and directors around the world believe in unlucky roles and cursed plays. Take The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov — how could a novel about the devil possibly bring good fortune?
Polish theater has its own version of an unlucky play connected to the Ukrainian Hetman Ivan Mazepa. Specifically, Juliusz Słowacki’s romantic drama Mazepa features a scene with a coffin.
For Polish actors, this coffin is seen as a bad omen. Many believe that performing in the play invites trouble, and when misfortunes inevitably occur, no one is surprised. The culprit is obvious — Mazepa and the play itself!
That said, Polish traditions also have positive superstitions linked to Ukraine. Thanks to Nobel Prize-winning writer Henryk Sienkiewicz, it is now widely believed that those born in May are lucky in love.
In With Fire and Sword, the Polish nobleman Jan Onufry Zagłoba says to the Cossack colonel Ivan Bohun: «I never knew you were so romantic! You must have been born in May, the month of Venus when the aura is so full of passion that even two splinters of wood start feeling attraction toward each other».
SUPERSTITION — THE OTHER SIDE OF GENIUS?
The superstitions of great minds are just as extraordinary as their talents. Honoré de Balzac believed that his muse was real but hated light. He only wrote at dusk or behind tightly closed curtains — in any other setting, the muse simply refused to appear.
Edgar Allan Poe, on the other hand, was terrified of the dark. He slept with a candle burning, avoided theaters that dimmed the lights, and never visited friends in the evening. Charles Dickens insisted on sleeping with his head facing the North Pole, convinced that any other position would block his creativity.
James Joyce had a phobia of thunderstorms, believing they were a sign of God’s personal wrath directed at him. Superstitions are not limited to writers. Luciano Pavarotti, the opera legend, kept a bent nail in his pocket — a gift from his mother — believing it was his charm for success.
Football superstar Ronaldo always steps onto the field with his right foot first. Gennaro Gattuso, before every match, reads Fyodor Dostoevsky for good luck. Mario Gómez, known as «Super Mario» in German football, believes that only using the far-left urinal before a match guarantees victory. Even the most rational minds have their own secret rituals — proving that superstition is deeply ingrained in human nature, no matter how brilliant or successful one may be.
COGNITIVE ROOTS OF SUPERSTITIONS
Scientists are trying to understand whether people can differentiate between outcomes they «caused» and those they «did not cause», By the age of four months, infants begin to recognize the connection between an action and its result. As they grow older, children start asking «why?», demonstrating a deeper understanding of cause-and-effect relationships.
This sensitivity to causality enables creative play, goal-setting, emotional regulation, and the ability to interpret others’ intentions. In theory, we should be able to distinguish when our action caused an outcome and when it was merely a coincidence. But where does superstition fit into all of this?
To investigate, scientists conducted an experiment with 371 students who participated in a game where a positive or negative outcome followed either their own action or occurred independently of it. However, the participants were unaware of whether their behavior influenced the result.
In 80% of cases, students correctly identified when their action caused the outcome and when it did not. However, when they were uncertain about the existence of a cause-and-effect relationship, they tended to attribute the results — especially positive ones — to their own actions.
In other words, people assume their actions influenced an outcome when they are unsure of the real cause. This explains why we behave superstitiously even when we consciously understand that superstitions are not real.
THE BRAIN — A BUILT-IN SAFETY MECHANISM
But why waste energy on something we know does not affect the result? At first glance, this seems irrational. However, in reality, this bias helps us detect a broader range of connections — random, hidden, potential, or otherwise — between our actions and their consequences.
Our brain prefers to err on the side of caution, ensuring that no important connection is overlooked. In this sense, superstition is not useless ignorance but rather a cognitive tool that enhances our efficiency.
Researchers suggest that superstitious behavior can improve mental well-being, self-esteem, and a sense of control, ultimately boosting performance. Don’t believe it? Then, just in case, spit over your left shoulder and knock on wood!
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