Yahoo! Style seeks psychologist

Superstition is when we believe that something bigger than ourselves controls our world and our behaviour- a belief in supernatural forces. This often leads to iirrational behaviours rituals and practices. Some superstitions can be harmless and manifest as habits whilst others are more dangerous. They can arise from cultural beliefs and what we’ve been told as children and signify our fears as humans and our need to control the world. Superstitions often indicate a need to have some control on our lives and on the world. They can become more prevalent during times of stress and uncertainty as we grapple for control and certainty. We are seeing superstitions arising from the Covid-19 pandemic, from beliefs in conspiracy theories leading to bizarre behaviour and actions as people struggle to make sense of the pandemic and to have some kind of control.