Are Superstitions Hurtful

Superstitions have been said to be both helpful and hurtful, but according to the articles “Why Are Humans So Superstitious?” by Marc Lallanilla and “Is magical thinking hurting or helping you?” by Sarah Albert, they are far more hurtful than helpful. Superstitions are hurtful because they can be very unhealthy, they can make people lose confidence, and they can cause anxiety. Unhealthy superstations are one of the reasons that superstitions are more hurtful. This is shown in paragraph twelve of Lallanilla’s article; it states “Superstitions centered around luck in a skilled activity (putting a golf ball) have been shown to improve performance…” He goes on to state, “However, to the extent that belief in luck prolongs people’s attempts at
problem gambling or belief in psychic powers encourages the use of internet psychics- they can be harmful.” Again in Albert’s text, the same idea is presented; (paragraph 10) “If you’re a compulsive gambler who believes that you can get lucky, then that belief may contribute to your problem.” From these quotes, it is clear that unhealthy activities based on luck, like being addicted to gambling and believing in psychic powers, are harmful because they cause very bad habits and beliefs. Superstitions are also hurtful because they can cause a loss in confidence. Referring back to Albert’s text it states in the eighth paragraph, “If you’ve done well before when you had a particular shirt on, for example, it might prove wise to wear the shirt again, if it helps to relieve anxiety and promotes positive thought. But this way of thinking can also hinder your performance, if say, you lose your lucky object.” This quote demonstrates that if someone was to lose their lucky object all of the confidence from it would be lost; they might not perform as well. Lastly, phobic superstitions can be harmful to superstitious people. In Lallanilla’s article, paragraph five, it states “I had a friend in graduate school who believed that his fingernail clippings and those of his family members might fall into the wrong hands and be used to commit malevolent magic against them.” Vyse, a man from the article went on to say how his friend went how his friend went as far as still eating these clippings twenty years later. This man from the text was so incredibly scared of someone using his nail clipping against him that he ate them and that most likely eventually became an addiction. In Albert’s article, this idea is presented again (paragraph 11). “For example, people who are afraid of Friday the 13th might change travel arrangements or skip an appointment because of unnecessary anxiety.” Because of these quotes, it is clear that unnecessary anxiety can come from false superstitions, which is harmful. To sum up, superstations are very unhealthy, they can cause loss of confidence and anxiety. These reasons make them more harmful than helpful.