Every country in the world has its own superstitions and omens. They are somewhat different, but there are also similar ones, such as knocking on wood. From childhood, we know that we must certainly knock on it three times so that "bad things don't happen."
Scientists believed in "grandmother's tales"
In Russia, our distant ancestors knocked mainly on the oak, because they believed that the god Perun was in the branches of this tree during a thunderstorm, expelling all evil spirits from the earth and, therefore, he will certainly help if indirectly through the oak to convey to him his disturbing thoughts and expectations …
Sometimes they knocked on other trees, but with the advent of Christianity, the aspen was excluded from the “list”, because Judas hanged himself on it, and the tree became cursed forever.
One of the earliest mentions of the tradition of knocking on wood dates back to Ancient Egypt, but the Egyptians still wear amulets made of wood. In modern Europe, this sign is also known and popular today. In Great Britain, for example, locals in certain situations advise their friends: Touch wood !, which means “Touch the tree!”.
At the same time, until recently, the effectiveness of this method of protecting against failures was considered by science only as an archaism of the past, and was not paid attention to. However, the results of a serious study carried out this fall made pundits take a different look at the "grandmother's tales."
As the staff of the University of Chicago found out, knocking on wood really works and in some ways even helps.
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The importance of the study, from the point of view of scientists, is proved by the fact that the habitual tapping on wood has grown from an ordinary superstition into a very real habit, characteristic of both superstitious and people who do not really believe in omens.
In the course of the experiment, according to the ReporterUA portal, the scientists offered the volunteers the following choice: either to knock on the table after making a decision, or to do something else, after which the participants were interviewed.
It turned out that the “knocking on wood” believed in their own luck and that they would be lucky, but those who “thought rationally” were overcome by some doubts.
Scientists note that people are afraid of "long luck" and believe that problems will surely come for it, and the size of the problems is directly proportional to the happiness experienced.
That is why a person, speaking about the fact that he, for example, has never had an accident, will definitely knock on the table in order to ward off failure and a theoretical accident from himself. This action reduces the level of anxiety experienced by a person and his negative expectations.
The researchers emphasize that with each blow of the fingers on a wooden surface, a person becomes calmer, his pressure decreases, he relaxes. Thus, the contrived negative "comes out" of the head and is mentally transferred to "nothingness".
“Our results suggest that not all actions to eliminate anxious expectations are equally effective. Best of all, when the action is aimed at transmitting negativity from a person, - quotes InnovaNews as associate professor Jane Reisen. "If a person does something, it seems to be most effective in pushing back bad luck or accident."
Longevity directly depends on attitudes towards superstition
Professor of psychology at the University of Missouri Brian Kronk believes that the human brain is always trying to understand the essence of the events around it, and when the reason remains unclear, it comes up with all sorts of bizarre explanations.
“Our brain always wants to find cause and effect. The fact that a person can foresee the future makes him smarter, but it also has side effects such as superstition,”explains Kronk.
As a result of numerous studies, scientists have come to an interesting conclusion: people who profess any faith do not usually tend to rely on signs and superstitions in various situations, their faith is directed only to their god, while those who are not deeply religious people really believe in the power of all kinds of amulets.
Scientists at Harvard University also believe that superstition is part of the adaptive behavior of all people who seek to give some meaning to the world around them.
According to Harvard experts, people have always tried to make sure that they are protecting themselves. By reacting to a potential threat, he thereby prepares himself to face real danger.
Even despite scientific evidence of the inconsistency of certain phenomena, people continue to believe in the irrational just as they remain mystically attached to such inanimate objects as a wedding ring or a teddy bear.
Moreover, belief in the irrational and the simplest - omens, it turns out, sometimes prolongs life. This is the conclusion reached by a group of researchers from the University of London.
Studying and systematizing the beliefs of 5,460 compatriots in different cities of the country, scientists found that 93% of people aged 80 and over claim that during their life they were attentive to omens, dreams, predictions and, including expecting failure, knocked on wood …
Among people over 90 years old, the portal E-News notes, this number is already 97%. But Dr. Stella McGuire is in no hurry to attribute this to the fact that old people simply fell into childhood.
“This has its own logic,” she says, “omens and superstitions make people be more careful, think carefully about their actions, take a calmer attitude to the likelihood of possible failure, and thus protect them from stress … In addition, following many old beliefs in to some extent systematizes life."