- Evaluate the claims about superstition made in the article, citing an example either from the reading or another from research or personal knowledge.
- Contrast the potential positive and negative impacts of holding a superstition.
The article claims that superstition only works if you believe it works. It's like Dumbo. The baby elephant can't fly until he is given a magic feather and gains the confidence to fly. The article states that "Once you acknowledge that performance is a function of what goes on in your brain rather than a product of any mystical properties of the object itself, it becomes useless. That feeling of “I can do this” will wither away as soon as you realize that nothing external, nothing mystical, will influence how you perform – it’s just you and your abilities." (http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=superstitions-can-make-you&page=2)
There are positive and negative effects of having a superstition. I have superstitions, but I also have OCD and it's really a bad combination. I was talking to my friend about this, and she said, "Geez, Ella, for the biggest atheist I know, you're really superstitious." But, being a performer, I have rituals! I always wear the same perfume before I perform, and that doesn't have any negative effects. It has a positive effect: I smell nice. I always put one small braid in my hair before I play a game (like a sports game, not like Scrabble). That doesn't have a positive effect or a negative one. But, for example, if people have harmful superstitions, such as "every day before I leave the house I punch myself in the face to protect me from serial killers", it will hurt your face and make you paranoid. I think the effect depends on the superstition. Also, it can lead to a sense of dependence. But, like the article says, if you believe in it, it works for you. It could be bad, though, if you feel like you literally can't function without doing something like painting one fingernail bright red in order to keep you safe.
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