Do you think you are superstitious? Don't scare black cats? Do you not mind opening an umbrella at home or passing below a scale? Very well, but the little Grigri that you keep preciously in your wallet … Taken your hand in the bag! Rest assured, the vast majority of people are more or less superstitious. Because yes, these beliefs, sometimes well rooted in our culture, allow us to reassure ourselves and calm our stress.
Among the best known, we find for example the fear of Friday 13, the famous Triskaïdekaphobia. So why do we fear precisely these days?
It is not easy to go back to the origins of a superstition, but it seems that the fear of Friday 13 comes from Christian mythology. Indeed, Christ was crucified on Friday, following the Last Supper the day before, where he was accompanied by 13 people: the twelve apostles and the Judas traitor. Some theologians are moreover convinced that it was a Friday that Eve would have pushed Adam to the temptation to crunch the famous apple …
Following this, the superstitious consider that they are more unlucky on Fridays 13. This number also worries during meals. Thus, being 13 at the table, still related to the Last Supper, would be terrible: the first invitation to get up would die in the year …
Beyond Christian mythology, some numbers could bother us. The 13 bothers us, because it “does not enter the boxes”: 12 months of the year, 12 apostles, 12 signs of the zodiac … among the Italians, it is the 17 which poses a problem. Indeed, in Roman number, XVII, is the anagram of the Latin word “vixi” which translates into “my life ends”.
If it is not the numbers that bother you, maybe the animals? Are you afraid of black cats? If, on Friday the 13th in the end is a rather harmless superstition, the ailurophobia has done (and continues to do) damage.
The fear of the black cat would go back to the Middle Ages. These animals were then considered to be associated with the witches and were the incarnation of the devil. This is particularly true during the famous “witch hunt” which still lasted from the age of the 18th century, with more or less important peaks.
All a little “marginal” women (healers, scholarly, only …) were designated witches, all the more if they took care of a black cat. Many small felines were therefore condemned with their mistresses and perished hanged, vivid skinned, crucified or burned …
Today, they continue to scare. They are always believed to be linked to the devil. And if, certainly they are no longer laid out alive, the fact remains that they are the ones who suffer the most abandonment and who populate the shelters …
>> Read also: Animal myth: Cats have nine lives, really?
Should we really be wary of Fridays 13 and other black cats?
You could say that if you are superstitious, there is a good reason. Certainly, but perhaps not where we believe it … Are there really foundations for these fears? Does it really happen more misfortunes on Fridays 13 when the days when you come across a black cat?
Several studies wanted to answer this question. Thus, in 2011, a German study demonstrated that there was no reason to fear a surgical act, scheduled for a Friday 13. There are no more risks than other days.
In 2012, another American study showed that there were no more patients in the emergency room these days.
As for black cats, no study could demonstrate that they “carried woe”. Their coat color is only the fruit of a chance of genetics and has nothing to do with any demonic act.
Finally, scientific advances managed to make several superstitions disappear. But not all … Some remain and are well rooted in the collective unconscious. They will also change another. Thus, the black cat does not carry bad luck everywhere. In Scotland and and Japan, they are considered to be a symbol of protection and luck. Which is ultimately more positive, but not more true …
Even today, despite the knowledge collected, there are even superstitions that are created. This is for example the case of this idea that you have to look in the eye when you start. In the centuries before, it would never have been possible, because on the contrary, looking in the eyes could be bad …
Will we always be superstitious? It is quite possible, because it calms us and it helps to master our fears. Moreover, an Ifop study of 2022 reveals that a third of French people consider themselves superstitious.
The black cat has long been persecuted following unfounded superstitions.
Credits: Shutterstock/Poutek
>> Read also: write your fears helps to succeed
But then, why are we superstitious?
Since, until proven otherwise, being superstitious ultimately does not influence the probabilities of succeeding or having a bad luck, why do we rest?
Would our brain be the culprit? In any case, what we see is that superstitions arise mainly from fear and our operation.
The human brain, to maximize its chances of survival, needs to organize. And the organization goes through the prediction. The time he is going to do, the risk of falling on a predator (there, it was mainly for our ancestors), the risk of having an unexpected file… Our brain seeks to anticipate everything that can happen.
However, researchers have noticed that being superstitious is also often accompanied by anxiety. That of loss of control and the idea of not mastering your environment. In these situations, species of loopholes have been created: superstitions. Thanks to them, we reassure ourselves, we calm down. And this is seen physiologically with a decrease in the level of stress hormones. It works in the same way as rituals (for example, the bedtime ritual in children).
“Positive” superstitions, especially gri-gri or other “I cross my fingers”, can have beneficial effects. As there is a kind of self-personal, a cognitive bias, there is an improvement in performance in the superstitious people who use them.
In 2010, a study on golfers thus showed an improvement in performance for those who received a lucky charm.
On the other hand, not all superstitions are equal! Some are harmless and soothe us, but others, like those of the black cat, are negative and destructive. Instead of soothing us, they will on the contrary lead to more stress and fear, it is for example all the superstitions related to conspiracy memberships or which will move us away from a medical act of importance.
So, the 4-leaf clover in the wallet, why not, it is not bad, but keep the mind open and critical and beware of small voices in our heads which do not always want us good …
>> Read also: the 4-leaf clover: story of a lucky charm
With an unwavering passion for local news, Christopher leads our editorial team with integrity and dedication. With over 20 years’ experience, he is the backbone of Wouldsayso, ensuring that we stay true to our mission to inform.
