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Everything about Superstition
Belief or behavior that is considered irrational or supernatural
A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural. It is commonly applied to beliefs and practices surrounding luck, fate, magic, amulets, astrology, fortune telling, spirits, and certain paranormal entities, particularly the belief that future events can be foretold by specific unrelated prior events. Wikipedia →
🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path
- Read the overview: SuperstitionA 5-minute orientation
- Skim a recent paper: Superstition and Risk Taking: Evidence from “Zodiac Year” Beliefs in ChinaInfluential work since 2022
- Pick up a classic book: The Golden BoughThe most-reprinted book on the subject
- Read the landmark paper: 'Superstition' in the pigeon.Cited 1,080 times
- Go sideways: List of superstitionsA closely related topic
- Go sideways: Popular beliefA closely related topic
📖 Definitions
Noun A belief considered to be irrational, unfounded, or based solely on fear and ignorance, particularly credulous reverence towards and belief in supernatural forces.
Noun Excessive nicety; overscrupulousness.
🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)
'Superstition' in the pigeon.
Cross‐fault triggering in the November 1987 Superstition Hills Earthquake Sequence, southern California
Dynamics of Liquefaction During the 1987 Superstition Hills, California, Earthquake
Superstition and Financial Decision Making
Superstition: A Matter of Bias, Not Detectability
The evolution of superstitious and superstition-like behaviour
Superstition, risk-taking and risk perception of accidents among South African taxi drivers
A Second Type of Superstition in the Pigeon
🆕 Influential since 2022
Superstition and Risk Taking: Evidence from “Zodiac Year” Beliefs in China
The impacts of superstition on risk preferences and beliefs: Evidence from the Chinese zodiac year
Superstition, Risk Aversion, and Audit Quality: Evidence from China
Characteristic Slow‐Slip Events on the Superstition Hills Fault, Southern California
MODERNIZATION, SUPERSTITION, AND CULTURAL CHANGE
📚 Books worth reading
The Golden BoughJames George Frazer · 1890
Canne al ventoGrazia Deledda, Qem Classic · 1913
Psyche's taskJames George Frazer · 1909
AftermathJames George Frazer · 1936
Satanism and witchcraftJules Michelet · 1939
Amulets and superstitionsE. A. Wallis Budge · 1930
Miscellanies upon Various SubjectsJohn Aubrey · 1784
The evil eyeFrederick Thomas Elworthy · 1895
Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.
🔗 Related topics
- List of superstitions A superstition is "a belief or practice resulting from ignorance, fear of the unknown, trust in magic or chance, or a false conception of causation" or…
- Popular belief Popular beliefs are studied as a sub-field of social sciences, like history and anthropology, which examines spiritual beliefs that develop not independently…
- Superstition in China As an ancient civilization with a long history and rich cultural traditions, China's "superstition" phenomenon is not only deeply rooted in people's daily…
- Superstition in Pakistan Superstition in Pakistan (Urdu: پاکستانی توهم پرستی) is widespread and many adverse events are attributed to the supernatural effect. Superstition is a…
- Divination Divination is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of a magic ritual or practice. Using various methods, throughout history…
- Magical thinking Magical thinking or superstitious thinking is the belief that unrelated events are causally connected despite the absence of any plausible causal link…
- Magic in the Greco-Roman world Magic in the Greco-Roman world – that is, ancient Greece, ancient Rome, and the other cultures with which they interacted, especially ancient Egypt – comprises…
- Luck Luck is a phenomenon or belief that humans may associate with experiencing improbable events, especially improbably positive or negative events. Philosophical…