Superstitions have run the human race for centuries. Witches, for example, have been a prominent superstition, ranging from Europe in the 17 century to the American colonies. Even pirates had specific precautions to ward off witches. By today’s standards, this is insane, because witches aren’t real. However, people in today’s society still have superstitions.

For instance, baseball players and fans are known to be very superstitious individuals. Whether they tap their bats a certain amount of times, attach and detach their gloves, or wear specific pieces of clothing, almost all of them have a specific game ritual. 

While not everyone surrounds themselves with baseball or witches, the everyday person has some superstitions. The most common superstitions are the ones that everyone has grown up with: don’t shatter a mirror, don’t walk under ladders, don’t open umbrellas indoors, and always knock on wood to not jinx yourself. Even if people almost always follow these superstitions, the majority of people don’t consider themselves superstitious. However, younger generations are picking up the slack.

“Billions of people in the United States and across the world are superstitious. A quarter of adults in the U.S. consider themselves to be so, and recent trends reveal that younger people are more superstitious than older adults,” says Ana Sandoiu, a writer at Medical News Today. “In fact, 70% of U.S. students rely on good luck charms for better academic performance.”

Young people are more likely to be superstitious than older people; a survey conducted by YouGov.com reports that 63% of young adults ranging from 18-29 are at least a little superstitious. For example, a study at Princeton shows most students aren’t superstitious but believe that by watching the Super Bowl, they help sway on the winning team. Certain superstitions can even be broken down into genders, with the most common superstitions being beginners luck, seven is a lucky number, and no walking under ladders for men and knock on wood, cross your fingers and bad news comes in threes for women.

Dr. Ken Drinkwater, a chief lecturer and researcher of cognitive and parapsychology at Manchester Metropolitan University, has studied the superstition concept, “Although there is no single definition of superstition, it generally means a belief in supernatural forces – such as fate – the desire to influence unpredictable factors and a need to resolve uncertainty. In this way then, individual beliefs and experiences drive superstitions, which explains why they are generally irrational and often defy current scientific wisdom.” 

Are superstitions really light hearted fun, or are they ridiculous and we should stop participating in them? Well, the answer is tricky. Some people take superstitions very seriously, with some people being unable to function if they don’t stick to their specific superstitions and rituals.

For example, when I was young, my mom couldn’t sleep at night or relax unless she checked that the garage was locked. She would even check it after my dad checked it. She thought that someone would get into the house if she didn’t lock the house herself. So, in this case, it can become obsessive if we let superstitions get out-of-hand. However, if you, by habit, knock on wood-or any surface-so you don’t jinx yourself, I think that’s normal, playful superstitions. I don’t mean anything by it when I do it. It’s just a habit I’ve developed from a young age.

Makayla Doyle, a senior, shares, “I believe that odd numbers (volume and thermostat ) can be bad and a person should never walk under ladders.  I also believe the old nautical superstition that is related to weather.  “ ‘A red sky in the morning , sailors take warning.  A red sky at night ; sailors delight.’ “ 

I believe that general superstitions are no longer superstitions. They’ve all turned into general habits. Everyone says “bless you” to be polite when someone sneezes, but it actually is a superstition that if you don’t say “bless you” after someone sneezes, the devil will come and steal their soul. I almost always knock on wood so I don’t jinx myself, and I don’t walk under ladders. I don’t open umbrellas indoors, and I avoid the gaze of black cats. However, I don’t do all these things because I think something bad will happen to me. I do them because they’re the social norm, and it’s things I’ve been told about since I was young. 

Do superstitions still have supernatural weight to them, or is it mindless fluff? Who’s to really say?