So here's the thing: scientists have discovered why people tend to believe in omens

Problems

Magical thinking is characteristic of children; for a child, the world and his own “I” form a single whole.
For example, he wants to eat, and his mother feeds him - the child gets the feeling that he has magically filled himself up. He cannot realize that this is not in his zone of control, but in his mother’s control zone. About the same thing happens to a person who performs magical rituals and follows signs. If fantastic things are part of reality for you, then in psychology this speaks of the infantilism of consciousness. Instead of reducing the level of anxiety, signs can only increase it, begin to bother you and distract you from your work. This happens if a person sees some strange sign or forgets to perform a ritual. Although it is also quite arrogant to believe that everything that happens in the world depends on you. It is wise to fulfill 50% of your responsibility and leave alone what you cannot control.

Psychology

Modern man, despite the cult of rationality, science and technology, holds on to the magical world no less reverently than primitive people. Sometimes this happens automatically, without reflection (inadvertently looking in the mirror when returning home for a forgotten thing), and sometimes it is a conscious choice, as, for example, in the case of religion .

If a person is able to rationally explain to himself the need for magic in his life, then this makes sense for him and his psyche. The main reason for craving for signs and magical rituals is a feeling of anxiety and uncertainty in life. There are things that we cannot control, such as whether our plane will crash or not, and this lack of control instills fear. Ritual actions help create the illusion of control, which lulls the psyche, and anxiety goes away.

The more alarming and exciting the event, the more dancing with tambourines around it: a wedding, a funeral, exams, a long journey. There are also purely professional signs that are common among people whose occupations involve great risks and responsibility. There are many superstitions among military personnel, athletes, extreme sports enthusiasts, and travelers.

Some signs are quite rational. The tradition of sitting on the path is a good opportunity to mentally scan the apartment before leaving and realize that you forgot your passport or left the iron on. If bird droppings land on your head, the thought of unexpected money lifts your spirits a little.

Signs are carefully adapted to modern times and meet the requirements of the current century. For example, there is a belief that you should not wash the floor or sweep immediately after a person leaves: if you notice his return path, he may not return. Nowadays, it is not recommended to vacuum cleaner - there is a risk of vacuuming the way home.

According to psychologist Marina Gudzenko, a person believes in God in an attempt to cope with the fear of death and the unknown:

“Faith in this sense is a very strong resource for a person. It is often possible to observe how people become religious during serious illnesses or other serious problems. A person is frightened by chaos, and it is difficult for him to accept that misfortune happened to him just like that. For example, if a person finds himself in a wheelchair, then the search for a higher purpose may lead to the fact that he should engage in charity and help other wheelchair users. This can qualitatively change your life: motivation and strength will appear instead of endless suffering. People whose illnesses have psychogenic causes may well, with strong faith, be healed by venerating relics and icons.”

Photo: pixabay.com

Is it possible to eat from a knife?

It is believed that eating food in this way will make a person evil. This is justified by the fact that the knife has long been used as a tool for obtaining food. In addition, it was perceived as a means of protection not only from real danger, but also from evil spirits. Such a powerful magical instrument deserves special treatment, so eating from it means angering the spirits.

But putting a knife in your mouth is also dangerous for another, more real and “earthly” reason: it is very sharp and can easily cause injury. Therefore, when eating, it is more advisable to use more familiar cutlery, such as a fork and spoon. Use the knife for its intended purpose.

How superstitions affect people

The need to foresee the future arose simultaneously with human labor activity. The life and health of an entire clan depended on changes in weather, preservation of crops, and successful hunting. Exploring the surrounding world and conquering new lands also required information. And since it was obtained experimentally, people unwittingly compared the results of their activities and events in nature. If any matches were found, they were recorded. When the situation was repeated, when two completely different incidents occurred simultaneously, it became firmly fixed in the mind. And then subsequent life was built taking into account the ideas received.

Doubts and lack of confidence in one’s abilities make a person superstitiously seek support in omens. After all, in case of failure, you can easily relieve yourself of responsibility by shifting it to the actions of independent forces. A black cat and spilled salt, a woman with empty buckets and knocking on wood, a hat on the table and the thirteenth number - who cannot continue each of the listed signs?

The human psyche is designed in such a way that having strong beliefs in something, he is able to program himself for failure or luck. And if you are sure of trouble just because you return home without looking in the mirror, so be it. And if you believe, and even collectively, that a wedding in the rain is fortunate, the newlyweds will receive a powerful spirit for a strong family life. Signs and superstitions then influence life when people themselves want it. Moreover, the interpretation of different signs is individual. “Pregnant women should not knit” - for some people this is an unquestioning ban, in order to prevent entanglement of the umbilical cord. And for others, this is the belief that prolonged static load disrupts blood circulation, which is not beneficial for the unborn child.

Research and experiments of scientists

Biologists, cultural scientists and psychology specialists confirm in their research the ancient origin of superstitions. They argue that following signs makes people play it safe. And he who is forewarned is forearmed. Increased caution and attentiveness prevents an accident, and in general helps to survive.

Information about confirmed signs is passed on to subsequent generations and each time becomes more and more important. Scientists have also coined the concept of “superstitious habit,” which even scientific evidence of its inconsistency cannot yet eradicate.

Simple experiments prove that a person is able to change the results of his work only by relying on his favorite superstition. In one experiment, participants were asked to grab talismans, and then, under a plausible pretext, they were taken away. The first half of the group received their amulets back before the start of the task, while the other half was told that there had been a hitch and the talismans would be returned after work.

People tend to seek help and confirmation of their actions, relying on signs. Psychologists suggest treating them with a sense of proportion and a bit of humor, choosing positive moments and being confident.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with: 6 rules that will help you not get involved in disputes and quarrels |

The history of superstitions and signs

All signs and superstitions are aimed at finding a logical connection between seemingly incompatible and illogical things. And its roots go back to the distant times of undeveloped science. Today people know a lot about the world, its laws, society and human characteristics, the interaction of man and nature. Previously, in order to get rid of oppressive ignorance and not be afraid to live, one had to rely on signs, superstitions and intuition:

• Someone alone noticed a random coincidence and established a connection between two completely different signs (phenomena).
• This scheme is supported by a feature of our memory: we remember the confirmation of signs, but forget the refutations. A sign (prophecy, fortune telling) may come true once and not come true 20 times, but it will be remembered in memory as always coming true. That's how it started.

But the peculiarity of the psychology of belief is that the piggy bank of various kinds of beliefs is regularly replenished. Why is it so popular nowadays? Old signs are alive in the public historical consciousness. There's no escaping this. And new ones are born for the same reason - ignorance, fear. Although science has made a huge leap forward, there are still many secrets and mysteries in the world. As a result, we can say that superstitions and signs are the unconscious basis of personality, which cannot be eradicated.

What is a premonition? In the language of psychology, this is a combination of a natural and useful property of intelligence - assumption (the probability of some event without determining the specific numbers of this probability) and anxiety. The likelihood of a person developing a premonition (assumption + anxious expectation) increases in situations of stress, tension, and critical conditions. If the premonition does not justify itself, then it will, of course, be forgotten. Otherwise, it will be remembered. This is how the superstition “premonition never deceives me” is born.

Afterword

Superstition is the victory of emotions over reason. And one of the main driving forces is fear. This is blind faith that inhibits thinking. Prejudices are similar to superstitions:

• superstitions are an element of the structure of prejudices;
• prejudice is an erroneous perception of something caused by information imposed from outside (superstitions and signs).

Signs, superstitions, and prejudices relate to the psychology of the masses. This makes it difficult and impossible to completely eradicate beliefs. But it is possible and necessary to work with an individual person if superstitions interfere with his personal development and life, bordering on anxiety-phobic disorders and obsessiveness syndrome.

How to do it? Understand what function superstitions perform in this case. This will help you find the true reasons: lack of knowledge, fear, lack of self-confidence, personal problems and more. Next, you have to work to eliminate this cause and gain a sense of control over yourself and your life through internal resources and a logical, rational understanding of the world. Once you develop creative and positive thinking, superstitions will begin to fade into the background.

However, some signs and superstitions can be confirmed from the position of science, which is why they are still alive in the public consciousness. Read more about this in the article “10 signs that have a scientific explanation.”

What superstitions exist

Superstitions are with us all the time, as well as folk signs

For example, a superstitious person pays attention to low-flying birds as harbingers of rain and forgets that a few minutes ago he circled an advertisement in the newspaper or wanted to walk around the city. We urgently need to go home and take shelter from the rain!

As the long-term practice of superstitions shows, people simply have a desire to avoid unfavorable situations. And folk signs provide just such an opportunity. But is this really so? Let's try to figure it out. If a superstitious person is in a hurry to catch a plane and, according to popular belief, sees that he is wearing his beautiful sweater inside out, then he thinks not to board the plane and rent an apartment for the night or, at worst, stay overnight at the airport. After all, you may not reach your destination!

Functions of superstitions and signs

Signs and superstitions play an important role for our psyche - they give a sense of security, a sense of control over the situation and its management. They serve as a kind of placebo, instilling in a person confidence in their own abilities.

This is how, for example, various amulets and amulets work. It's hard to believe that they can actually attract good luck or give a person what he dreams of. But the fact that human thoughts are material leaves no doubt. And if a person is confident that success in love will soon await him, then so it will happen:

• Amulets give a person a feeling of calm and confidence.
• The psychophysiological background is restored, and the individual himself is able to rationally manage his life.

As a rule, a person does not notice this and believes that the amulet really helped. This in turn strengthens faith. That is why superstitions do not leave our lives.

Or, for example, the well-known sign that birds shit on money. Faced with this, a superstitious person not only begins to expect profit, but his brain also begins to look for sources of income. Signs are undoubtedly useful in this regard.

But there is also the other side of the coin: superstitions and signs can turn into obsessive states and then interfere with a person’s life. For example, according to one of the signs, if you break a mirror, it will lead to a streak of misfortune. A superstitious person programs himself for this, and misfortunes really happen. In general, the essence of signs (good and bad) is the placebo effect.

Thus, superstitions:

• on the one hand, they give safety, comfort, protection;
• on the other hand, they interfere with the development of human cognitive and creative abilities.

Despite all the advantages of beliefs described in the article, I have a rather negative attitude towards superstitions and signs. I believe that they hinder a person’s personal growth, do not solve real problems, but only mask them, and interfere with the disclosure of creative potential.

Approaches to the study of superstitions

Superstition is a belief in forces and laws of nature unknown to man, which positively or negatively influence people, animals and the whole world. Superstitions can be viewed as a psychological phenomenon through several approaches.

Cognitive approach

From the perspective of this approach, superstition is an attempt to comprehend the unknown and inexplicable. Superstitions are passed on from generation to generation through the psychological characteristics of the crowd: infection, imitation, suggestion. With the help of signs and superstitions, a person tries to gain control over the whole world. In this context, superstitions are the result of memory and imagination.

With the help of superstitions, people order the world around them. But the perception of ongoing events is too subjective and situational in nature, distorting the true mechanisms and features of the things that are happening.

He tries to explain everything that goes beyond the usual ideas and knowledge of a person with the help of supernatural forces, omens, superstitions, fortune telling, and astrology. Accordingly, we can say that the higher a person’s intellectual level, the less prone he is to prejudice. Knowing the world through superstition is a simplified form of knowledge that relies on clarity and avoids learning the world through abstract scientific concepts.

Affective-motivational approach

Superstitions are a form of protecting a person’s emotional state and self-awareness. This is the satisfaction and support of your unconscious desires, emotions and feelings. At the same time, in this concept, superstitions are considered as a means of providing psychotherapeutic assistance: getting rid of fears, giving confidence, relieving tension.

Belief is closely related to a person’s suggestibility, which intensifies at the moment:

• frustration and psychological fragmentation, for example, with fear of death, aging, reality or the burden of loneliness;
• difficult life situations;
• grief experiences;
• job loss;
• unrequited love;
• cultural and socio-economic instability of society;
• awareness of one's own powerlessness.

“What is not done is for the better,” a person tells himself, and the pain from personally significant misfortunes that have happened is no longer so acute. Signs and this kind of superstition can give a person the strength to overcome depression and other undesirable conditions. Think about it, for every person’s condition you can find a saying that removes some of the responsibility from him and shifts the burden of what happened onto someone else’s shoulders: “Everything is God’s will.”

On the one hand, this is good, but on the other, it seems to me that it deprives a person of personal development. How can you grow and draw conclusions from what happened, avoiding responsibility for your own life? Is it possible to develop if you do not really know your thoughts and feelings, do not consciously fight fears and do not accept inevitable realities, for example, death? I think in this case, superstitions are a form of escape from reality and hinder personal growth.

This is a defense mechanism of the psyche of irresponsible, anxious people with pessimistic thinking and who do not want to recognize themselves as the creator of good and bad in their lives, independently control it, make decisions and bear responsibility for them. Superstitions help a person adapt to repeated, but frightening, unknown conditions.

Psychoanalytic approach

Superstitions are the result of a person’s transference of true, but for some reason unsatisfying, motives for action to the outside world. It is based on a person’s needs and pleasures, which he wants to satisfy quickly and not on his own. Thus, within the framework of the psychoanalytic approach, superstitions are the result of a lack of knowledge and unfulfilled current needs.

Behaviorist approach

Superstitions are behavior caused by an inability to understand the presence or absence of a connection between a person’s actions and their consequences. This style of behavior develops as a result of random reinforcements.

Social and moral approach

Superstitions are the basis of morality, a regulator of relationships in a group and society. These are the conditions for successful survival and contact with nature, which have reached man through the cultural heritage of other generations. Superstitions concretize, personify, and praise socially acceptable desirable forms of behavior (“Good always returns”) and impose taboos on undesirable forms and activities (“Chickens squawking on the roost means a domestic quarrel”). Thus, signs and superstitions help preserve, transmit and transmit social values ​​and norms of behavior.

Evolutionist approach

All the superstitions that exist among our people are echoes of the religions of different countries. For example, the negative attitude towards the black cat came from Egypt. By the way, this sign exists in many European countries.

Within the framework of the evolutionist approach, superstitions are echoes of the unfree behavior of members of tribes and tribal communities. It is possible that in those days a particular superstition made sense, even if its components were generalized erroneously. But moving further and further, in each generation it lost its strength.

I think that of all the approaches for psychology, the consideration of superstitions as a protective mechanism of the psyche, that is, the affective-motivational approach, is of particular interest.

What causes luck?

For centuries, people have believed in luck and widely agreed that luck can be influenced through spiritual means by performing certain rituals or avoiding certain circumstances.

One such activity is prayer, a religious practice in which this belief is particularly strong. Many cultures and religions around the world place a strong emphasis on a person's ability to influence their condition through ritual means, sometimes including sacrifice, omens, or spells. Others associate luck with a strong sense of superstition, that is, the belief that certain taboos or blessed actions will influence how luck favors them in the future.

Signs. Why do we believe in them?

- It is known that a woman on a ship means big trouble. “If we don’t take her, it will be worse.”

They say it will be unlucky if a black cat crosses the road... Whistling in the house means lack of money. And if the mirror breaks, then there will be trouble. Although the signs contradict science, we continue to follow them. No, no, and we’ll spit over our left shoulder, knock on wood, or grab a button in front of a frightened, innocent animal. So why do we continue to blindly believe prejudices? There are several psychological reasons for this.

Love for rituals

It is always easier for a person to perform a ritual honed over the years than to take responsibility for what is happening. Do you have an important meeting coming up? Of course, you will put on your “lucky” bra (tie, amulet, etc.) - it has never let you down, right? Having an unwashed head before an exam is much easier than cramming. For every significant event, we try to come up with our own ritual, which will certainly lead to success. Such signs in a sense increase self-confidence.

And if you fail, you can always blame it on the fact that “the ritual didn’t work.” But it's not your fault. Of course not.

Anxiety Remedy

Psychologists say: the more we worry, the worse the result of our activities.

When something important is at stake (exam, interview), it can lead to disaster. Don't worry, be happy! Signs in this case are an excellent remedy for excessive anxiety.

How it works? You met a woman with full buckets - you believed in your luck, calmed down and tuned in to the positive. And someone simply places objects in a special order or steps on hatches along the way... By doing this a certain number of times and in the right way, a person tries to curb anxiety and gain a sense of comfort. And even if this is not scientifically substantiated in any way. The main thing is that it works!

The desire to lift the veil of the future

And what will happen next? Everyone asked themselves this question. A person tends to look for clues to predict possible developments in love, health, finance or travel. And don’t go to a fortune teller - signs here play the most psychotherapeutic role! They calm, heal the pain of unrequited feelings and give confidence. And most importantly, they save you from fears of an unknown future.

Desire to control everything

It is impossible to control everything in life. But why not take advantage of the opportunity? When stress follows you closely, it’s so nice to rely on signs and superstitions that make life a little happier and easier.

Are your finances slipping through your fingers? All you need to do is see a spider on the wall - that's definitely money. Just like that, the idea of ​​financial well-being arose in your head. And thoughts, as they say, materialize. So everything is under control!

Protection from failure

Trouble? It happens to everyone... But you can react to them in different ways: find the reason for what happened or blame everything on a black cat.

Forgot something and returned home? Be kind enough to look in the mirror, and then nothing bad will happen. If you analyze the situation and look at it soberly: you’re just tired, that’s why you forgot. But performing the ritual with a mirror returns a feeling of calm. And no analysis is needed!

Hurray, it worked!

Personally, I have never met a person to whom something mystical did not happen at least once. One of my friends met her future husband the day after she caught the bridal bouquet. Another one wished for the job she wanted while blowing out the candles on the cake, and a week later she went for a fateful interview. Moreover, once I myself described in detail on five A4 sheets the man of my dreams, burned the treasured list and scattered it over the crossroads. Everything matched, including name, height and profession.

However, psychologists have an explanation for this magic. There is a theory that when we dream about something, we send information to our own unconscious, which in turn analyzes the situation and leads us to make our fantasies come true. A simple example: a person wanted to eat a burger. He vividly imagines the warmth of a soft bun, the juice of a hefty meat patty... when suddenly he looks up and sees a restaurant serving burgers - piping hot. Or the girl is tormented by the question: should she have a child now? And then he meets two expectant mothers with impressive bellies on the street. This is called the selective observation effect. In fact, we simply begin to pay attention to what is constantly spinning in our heads.

How do you like the “thank you, it’s gone!” effect? One of my friends was looking for a job in human resources. But every time a suitable position turned up, for some strange reason I was late for the interview. Either the car broke down in a traffic jam, then I forgot the necessary document at home, or I got sick. Coincidence? I don't think so. More likely, a reluctance to go to a job you don’t like. As soon as the girl completed the stylist course and received her first business invitations in her new specialty, the car never broke down, and the necessary papers were always at hand. She just genuinely cared about having what she really wanted.

Psychologist Irina Vinogradova: “There are such concepts as suggestion (suggestion - ELLE note) and the placebo effect. Suggestion as a method is used purposefully for medicinal purposes. And recovery happens! The processes that lead to it are launched in the body. As with a placebo, the changes in the body after receiving the pacifier are real, but they only occur because the patient is confident that he has received the real medicine. There is not a single organ in the human body that functions in isolation from the nervous system. An increasing number of diseases are recognized as psychosomatic. In the activities of a considerable number of magicians and psychics, the main working tool is suggestion, a mechanism of persuasion. One should not discount the characteristics of people who go to occultists - almost all of these people are initially highly suggestible. Magicians have little more knowledge about the mechanisms that work in diagnosis (diseases, life situations and events) and treatment than a person on the street. If you analyze their professional language, it is rather descriptive, conditionally explanatory. But, in the end, primitive man did not need knowledge of physics or chemistry to light a fire; heuristic observations were enough.”

What is luck?

Luck refers to what happens to a person outside of his control. This view includes phenomena that are random events, such as a person's birthplace, but where there is no uncertainty, or where uncertainty does not matter. Within this framework, three different types of luck can be distinguished:

1. Constitutional luck, that is, luck with factors that cannot be changed. Place of birth and genetic constitution are typical examples.
2. Random luck - with unpredictable factors. Accidents and epidemics are typical examples.
3. Ignorance of luck, that is, luck with factors that no one knows about. Examples can only be identified in hindsight.

The history of the occurrence of signs

Various signs of fate and superstition date back to ancient times. People did not yet know how nature works, the laws of physics and what causes certain phenomena, which sometimes frightened them very much. Therefore, they looked for explanations in other ways: they observed what preceded a certain natural phenomenon. Thus, people predicted certain weather conditions. For example, if birds fly low, it means rain, a clear sunset means sunny weather, etc.

Over time, signs began to be not only natural, but also social in nature. With their help, they began to predict certain behavior of people or specific life situations. For example, spilling salt means a quarrel, breaking mirrors means bad luck. All this once had a real, direct meaning. People fought over salt, since it was a very expensive and rare product, and if it was spilled, it would mean suffering great losses. Same with mirrors. Not only were they expensive, but they were also fragile. Therefore, the owners convinced their servants and family members to treat them carefully.

Belief in omens is so firmly rooted in the minds that in the modern world of science and technology, people often continue to predict certain phenomena through prejudices. It happens that they come true, but this has more to do with the mood of people. The latter begin to look for confirmation of signs. For example, if a person spills salt, without realizing it, he begins to provoke a conflict with his behavior. If a person is faced with a favorable sign of fate, he looks for pleasant moments in any situation, without noticing others.

Support in life

We are looking for strength and support. While for some, a dialogue with a friend can be equivalent to a whole course of professional psychotraining, for others, more effective support is needed

. To believe in ourselves, we must believe in something else. In the modern world, religion no longer has such a broad influence as before, when they looked for salvation, healing, and support in it. Everyone chooses what to believe in: the forces of the cosmos, karmic destiny, fate, horoscopes and name compatibility.

For example, the law of conservation of energy

Sign

A sign is a subjective reaction of the cognitive mind of a person, trying to identify the relationships between mutually embedded processes, to objective phenomena. Thus, a sign is the result of the work of the mind of a person who feels that everything in the world is interconnected. The observational ability of some people and their ability to understand this leads to the identification of stable relationships between individual processes, and, as a consequence, to the emergence of stereotypes for recognizing these relationships, which is formalized in the form of folk signs.

Most often, weather and agricultural signs belong to this type. Basically, such signs are based on observations of several generations of people about nature and the identification of some patterns. Many of these signs are still used by tourists, fishermen, villagers and other people who need to quickly assess the surrounding situation without the ability to use special instruments. Examples of such signs include:

• “When the earth crumbles easily, they go out to plow.” (This means that the soil is sufficiently dry and not wet, i.e. most suitable for plowing.)
• “In winter, pillars spread across the sky from the sun - to frost.” (“Sun pillars” are a fairly well-known optical effect caused by hexagonal ice crystals suspended in the air.)

These folk signs were passed down from generation to generation, corrected, and with the spread of printing, collections of them began to be published. An example can be given.

The content of the sign, or the fact that it was noticed, may correlate with actual patterns that were too difficult to confirm scientifically at the time the sign appeared.

What is the name of a person who believes in omens, fortune telling and horoscopes (SM)?

I personally have a neutral attitude towards this because there is something in all of this. That is, sometimes it can just be a coincidence, and sometimes it simply defies logic. If this is all taken as an assumption, then it may well be that we don’t know what’s beyond our consciousness.

There was a time when I was standing in line at the bank to pay for utilities.

Then granny “X” came in, took a turn and waited for her turn, and then I don’t remember why the other granny “U” started arguing with the cashier. Here granny “U” stands up for granny “U” and begins to really burden the cashier, no matter what just some babble, but a completely adequate and justified claim, and at the end she added that the cashier was a witch.

Apparently the whole crowd was surprised that the grandmother was saying the right thing and then gave it away.

The cashier silently continued her work.

And Granny “X” walked away and continued the discussion, saying that you shouldn’t believe me that she is a witch, because I know how to recognize them, she even showed me some kind of amulet, while telling me that she worked for 20 years in the special services and supposedly saw all sorts of miracles.

What I want to say by this is that you don’t want to believe in signs, horoscopes and the like and it looks stupid, but sometimes things happen that are simply inexplicable.

Sometimes a person does not believe in strange things until he sees with his own eyes or feels or something similar.

"Sit on the path"

NBC/gph.is

Can you imagine the surprise of a foreigner who hears such a phrase? He will be even more bewildered by your explanation of such a Russian tradition. A stranger will also be surprised by the origin of this unusual superstition, which is still popular in our country.

Did you know that our ancestors believed in many strange mythical creatures? For example, in a brownie. It was at that time that the tradition of sitting down in front of the road for a few minutes arose. It was believed that by sitting down for a while in front of the road, you seemed to be asking permission from the brownie to leave the house, since people believed that the main owner in the house was the brownie.

Later, the meaning of this tradition changed. Since our ancestors believed in various spirits, it was believed that short “get-togethers” before the road protected you from evil spirits that you might take with you on the road.

Today, of course, many old Russian traditions have already lost their meaning. But, nevertheless, many people still have the habit of sitting down on the road. True, now everyone has their own meaning in this. For some it’s an opportunity to gather their thoughts, for others it’s just luck, and for others it’s a chance to remember that nothing is forgotten on the road.

Folk signs associated with dishes and household utensils

• According to popular beliefs, dishes should not only be given, but also taken. By borrowing it, you lose energy. And this can lead to unpleasant consequences.
• By taking someone else's dishes, and even those that have been used, you can capture someone else's negativity.
• What if she was spoken to? The consequences of conspiracy and damage are unpredictable: right up to your deathbed.
• And in this case, our ancestors still found a loophole: kitchen utensils can be taken, but they must be given back, filled with water - and, accordingly, cleaned.

Although, again, in the good Soviet times this sign was somehow forgotten.

Still, it will be better if you leave your spoons, forks, plates and mugs with you.

Just in case!

The sign will tell you!

This is how the next level of attitude towards signs and superstitions is formed: their function becomes creative; with the help of signs, human psychology tries to model future events.

Negative signs - a black cat, a broken mirror - become a reason to abandon previously planned plans, change the daily routine and do something harmless, or even simply indulge in laziness with a clear conscience.

Positive signs - a “lucky” ticket or a wedding encountered along the way, add confidence in one’s own strengths and capabilities, and set one in a positive mood. Thanks to this, what is planned usually works out.

Do you know why people become superstitious?

If we study the emergence of superstitions, we can find the answer to this question.

People are very desperate to find the reasons for all the misfortunes they face. Superstition helps them hide their mistakes by blaming luck, which they believe no one can control except God. New research has found that stress makes people not only believe in rituals, but also in conspiracy theories, and as a result they are more likely to "see" things that aren't really there.

A sense of lack of control over one's life fuels many people's desire to bring order and structure to the world.

The less control people have over their lives, the more likely they are to try to regain control through mental gymnastics.

The feeling of control is so important to people that lack of control is threatening. While some delusions may be bad or misleading, they are extremely common and most likely satisfy a deep and enduring psychological need

Here are some more reasons that make people superstitious:

• …. dream about life
• …. having a strong need for control
• …. don't like ambiguity in their life

The world has changed, superstitions have not

My father has been going to sea for 30 years. And the most dangerous thing, as he says, is not a storm with waves the size of an eight-story building - although they do too - but ignoring the signs. For example, you should never go on a flight on Monday. Otherwise, expect trouble. And for good luck, you must definitely throw money into the first trawl - then the fish will be caught well.

“And if you flip a coin and there’s still no catch, what then?” – I’m curious.

“That means there are no fish,” the father laughs.

Logical. But why then believe in omens if they do not give any guarantees? Clinical psychologist Miroslava Vlasenko explains: a person needs certain rituals associated with “luck” for psychological control of situations that do not always depend on him.

“Superstitions are needed in order to cope with the fear of the unknown,” our interlocutor explains. “Many people tend to attribute responsibility for what is happening to external forces. For example, on the eve of an exam, a student puts a five-kopeck coin in his shoe “for good luck” and, having received a good grade, is sure that it’s all about the “magic” ritual. Such actions are a kind of self-help for people who are restless, have difficulty enduring critical situations and need psychological control.

This is especially true for those whose work involves danger to life. For example, the most superstitious professionals are doctors and pilots. They have dozens of rituals in their arsenal that give confidence in a successful working day. Doctors try not to leave out the medical history - this leads to complications. And not taking on the treatment of “our own people” is a bad omen. Pilots do not wear their caps with the visor down. Because that's what they do to dead comrades. And they don’t say “last flight.” Better - “extreme”. It's more reliable.

According to Miroslava Vlasenko, the tendency to believe in omens depends on the locus of control (the point to which a person focuses when something happens in his life - Ed.). And also from how closely our parents reinforced superstition in us.

“Signs come from ancient times, when there was no information available to explain certain events,” our expert continues. — Roughly speaking, superstitions arose due to lack of awareness of people and were passed on from parents to children. As a result, the world changed, but the signs did not. Many do not consider themselves superstitious, but adhere to some rituals, because suggestions about their significance have passed from generation to generation and are so deeply rooted in the subconscious that they do not require criticism for their automatic execution.

I decided to ask my colleagues if they consider themselves superstitious. The answer was clear: no.

- Okay, but do you look in the mirror when you get halfway home because you forgot something? – I continue.

“It happens,” colleagues think. - But this is just a habit from childhood.

Do no harm

The only thing you need to be careful about is not to overdo it.

. Identify for yourself several symbols, signs, traditions that are closest to you in spirit and follow them. You should not apply all possible options to yourself at once. Firstly, there are so many of them that your life simply won’t be enough to comprehend all the diversity, and, secondly, there is a chance of going crazy, since symbols, signs and a magical confluence of different factors will not give you peace, over time you You will begin to thoroughly analyze every little detail.

Above all, your “magical side of life” should not harm others

. Therefore, it is better to forever exclude even from thoughts visiting fortune tellers, sorceresses, healers and the “third generation white magician”, since all these love spells and conspiracies will be directed directly at another person. No one excludes the possibility that the love spell will work and HE will come to you.

But you won’t achieve love this way, you will only get a man with manic passions that bear little resemblance to high feelings. By the way, as an experiment, I called an advertisement in the newspaper and asked: is it possible to bewitch Andrei Gubin? The answer was negative, although how Gubin differs from other men is unclear.

Don't waste your life

small objects. A shorter version might sound like this: “eat your lucky tickets without leaving the cash register.” Found a pebble in the sea? Throw it into the water and make wishes, don't carry a bag of cobblestones home with you. Have you seen a beautiful talisman for love, but will it be your 154th?

And you shouldn’t impose your beliefs

to others. Trust yourself that if you chew gum three days in a row, you will get a date, but don’t force other people to do the same. They may believe that only three sips of milk on the solar solstice, when the Moon is in Cancer, will bring them what they want.

In addition to all the amulets and amulets, there is also real life

, and real factors that should not be forgotten. Therefore, if on your first date you jumped on the roofs of cars and shouted “Take me to the tundra,” and in the morning the man doesn’t call or answer the phone, you shouldn’t attribute this “failure” to the fact that you forgot to take a magic love crystal with you to the meeting .

We conducted a survey and found out what our readers believe:

Olga, 29 years old I mainly believe in money signs. That's why I have red panties hanging on the chandelier at home. It works!

Irina, 36 years old I follow the lunar haircut calendar. There are several days in every month when a haircut can bring good luck, and on some days changes in hairstyle are extremely contraindicated - something bad can happen.

Vlada, 31 Before a flight, I always follow several rituals. Firstly, I never take pictures at the airport or on board an airplane. Secondly, before takeoff I always cross myself three times. Thirdly, I always fly with one small icon in my pocket. I can’t say that I’m very religious, but because of my fear of flying, apparently, I’m starting to believe in a higher power.

We invite you to read: How to please and make a Cancer man fall in love with you?

Katerina, 40 Every time I spend the night in a new place - it doesn’t matter, in a hotel or even on a train, I always say the phrase I learned back in the pioneer camp “sleep in a new place - the groom dreams of the bride.” In the morning I remember what I dreamed. The funny thing is that when I spend the night with a man for the first time, I always say the same thing. Habit.

Oksana, 34 I believe that our wishes come true. Therefore, I try to prepare for my birthday and New Year in advance. Let’s just say that you need to formulate your desires very clearly, so as not to miss anything. Otherwise, you can make a wish that “I want a well-paid job,” you will find it, but there will be a disgusting team or some other unbearable factor.

Tatiana, 28 I try on my life’s path to avoid people born under the sign of Scorpio. I don’t date Scorpio men, I’m not friends with women of this sign, and at work I try to find out the boss’s sign in advance. I am an Aquarius myself and we are completely incompatible. Therefore, it is better not to take risks and waste your time!

Lera, 31 I believe in human superpowers. Nostradamus, Messing, Vanga - they all proved that they had abilities inaccessible to many of us. There are people who see the future, there are those who can sort your life, both past and future, into pieces, and there are those who are able to heal with their energy or other means.

Story

Signs, superstitions, the ability to see the past/future, healing with icons, grandmother's amulet ring, places of power, zodiac signs - all these are details of magical thinking. This is a special idea of ​​​​the structure of the world, in which there is a place for symbols, forces or entities, the ability to influence the world with the help of special thoughts or rituals, and subtle relationships between events that are invisible to a person who does not have special knowledge.

For example, a student did well on an exam when he was wearing a red shirt. These are things that have no common basis, but a person with magical thinking concludes that this shirt is lucky, and it makes sense to wear it for all subsequent exams. This is an example of a cause-effect fallacy. And often all this is done as if not seriously, but just in case.

Superstitious beliefs and religion

The line between these two words is very thin and it is often observed that they tend to overlap each other. Religious believers often view other religions as superstitions. Likewise, atheists and agnostics may consider religious beliefs to be superstitious. Religious practitioners are more often called outsiders when they believe in unusual events (miracles), an afterlife, supernatural intervention, the value of prayer, charm, spells, the significance of omens and predictions.

The Roman Catholic Church believes that superstitions are sinful in the sense that they signify a lack of trust in God and, as such, are a violation of the Ten Commandments. The same is the case with Islam; it prohibits the following of beliefs that do not correspond to the Koran and Hadith. Islam calls such false beliefs the way of Shaitan (Satan or demon).

Signs and superstitions about Friday the 13th

It will be interesting to note that the fear of this day has its own name - paraskavedekatriaphobia

(from the Greek "Paraskevi" which means "Friday" and "Dekatreis" which translates to "Thirteen").

This phobia also has a second name - friggatriskaidekaphobia.

.
It is part of a larger concept - triskaidekaphobia
. This name comes from the name of the goddess Frigg from German-Scandinavian mythology.

Particularly superstitious people on this day decide to close all the doors and windows in the house for the whole day.

, stop answering phone calls and don’t look out the window.

In some cultures, Friday the 13th is considered devil's day.

, which means it brings failure. Initially, there was no connection between the fifth day of the week and the devil's dozen.

Interesting facts about this day

* It all started in ancient times. According to ancient beliefs, on this day 12 witches and other evil spirits gathered for the Sabbath, and when the full moon comes, the tempter himself appears on the 13th.

* Also in Christian culture it is believed that on this day Cain killed Abel

, Christ was crucified, and at the Last Supper, where all the apostles gathered,
the 13th was Judas
, who betrayed Christ.

* Friday the 13th was called “black” in ancient times, and all because of a real historical fact. On this day, April 13, 1307, many representatives of a very rich and influential organization - the Order of the Templars -

.

, which considered them heretics. Therefore, Friday the 13th is a dark day in history, which is surrounded by a lot of superstitions and mysteries.

* In the 18th century, more and more people believed that Friday the 13th brought bad luck. Among the British, this belief was so great that, according to one legend, the authorities decided to prove to everyone the absurdity of this superstition.

.

They built a ship, called it HMS Friday

.
Moreover, the beginning and end of construction also fell on Friday the 13th. The ship set sail and disappeared along with its crew. Nobody heard from him anymore
.

* In Spain and Portugal, sailors do not count Friday, but Tuesday the 13th

unfavorable day.
On this day it is advised not to moor and not to get married
.

What will winter be like? Folk signs about the weather in winter

* In the computer world, Friday the 13th is considered “black”, since on this day there is the highest probability of hacker attacks

. Often the creators of computer viruses released their “brainchildren” on this very day.

* It is worth noting that the 13th most often falls on a Friday.

“My right hand itched - for a meeting, acquaintance, etc., for money”

NBC/gph.is

There are all kinds of signs in our country, most of which go back to the distant past, when our ancestors believed in spirits and other mythical creatures. So the sign with the right hand goes far into the past of Rus'. So, according to popular belief, when your right hand itches/itches, it is believed that you will soon say hello. And indeed, we all greet with our right hand.

It is also believed that scratching your right palm portends that one of your relatives will turn to you for help in the near future. There is also a sign that if your palm begins to itch on all sides, then a gift awaits you that will not be given from the heart.

And, of course, the most common superstition, when the right palm itches, is associated with money. The sign says that if your right palm itches very much, profit awaits you.

Unwillingness to take responsibility for your life

One of the reasons why people are more willing to resort to various kinds of signs than to more authoritative sources is a banal reluctance to take responsibility for their own lives. Signs allow you to shift this burden onto someone (or something) else: a bad day not because you overslept because you forgot to set the alarm, but because you returned home without looking in the mirror, or managed to walk under the stairs . And it doesn’t matter that in the previous twenty days such episodes had absolutely no impact on your life.