Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition
by Stuart A. Vyse
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Book Summary Information
Author: Stuart A. VyseEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2000-05-18
ISBN: 0195136349
Number of pages: 272
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Book Reviews of Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition
Book Review: Fascinating and downright funny
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a fascinating and often downright funny book. Vyse's thesis is that superstitions are "a largely predictable outcome of the processes that control human learning and cognition".
In general, superstitions tend to develop when the nature of the problem is unclear, then something random is paired with the desired result, which supplies a strong bias to repeat it. When the "cost" of the superstitious behavior is minimal and the result is important, people tend to reason that they'd "better not risk it." Humans are pattern seeking animals and tend to find patterns even where there are none. Of course, superstitious behavior can also be learned from others.
Vyse writes, "superstitions often spring from reasoning errors, but these mistakes (illusions of control, misunderstandings of chance and probability, confirmation bias) are common to us all...reasoning errors are a natural feature of our humanity." (p 208) This book serves to explain various errors that lead to superstitious beliefs. Humans tend to make systematic reasoning errors in predictable ways, and Vyse touches on some of those that lead to superstitious behavior. Another fascinating book that does an excellent job at explaining those errors is How We Know What Isn't So: The Fallibility of Human Reason in Everyday Life by Cornell psychologist Thomas Gilovich. As Carl Sagan wrote in Demon Haunted World, "if we resolutely refuse to acknowledge where we are liable to fall into error, then we can confidently expect that error." Understanding the reasoning errors we are prone to make is the first step to avoiding them.
I laughed out loud at the results of some of the studies. Participants in one study sat at a desk with three switches, a signal light, and a "point" counter. They were told that "they were not required to do anything in particular but that they should try to earn as many points as possible. Points appeared on the counter on different schedules...always completely independently of anything the students did." Various superstitious behaviors emerged. "As might be expected, most of these behaviors involved patterns of lever pulls. For example, one student made four rapid pulls on a single lever then held the lever for several seconds. The student used this pattern repeatedly for over thirty minutes, alternating among the three levers...of course, the students' responses had absolutely no effect on the delivery of points, but in each case, a careful analysis of the data revealed that each superstitious pattern of lever-pulling began with a coincidence: a point being given at the end of a sequence of responses." (p 73) Some participants developed superstitions unrelated to the levers; one woman's behavior was described as such: "...she climbed on the table and put her right hand on the counter. Just as she did so, another point was delivered. Thereafter she began to touch many things in turn, such as the signal light, the screen, a nail on the screen, and the wall. About 10 minutes later, a point was delivered just as she jumped to the floor, and touching was replaced by jumping. After five jumps, a point was delivered when she jumped and touched the ceiling with her slipper in her hand. Jumping to touch the ceiling continued repeatedly and was followed by points until she stopped about 25 minutes into the session, perhaps because of fatigue."
Summary of Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition
Although we live in a technologically advanced society, superstition is as widespread as it has ever been. Far from limited to athletes and actors, superstitious beliefs are common among people of all occupations and every educational and income level. Here, Stuart Vyse investigates our proclivity towards these irrational beliefs. Superstitions, he writes, are the natural result of several well-understood psychological processes, including our human sensitivity to coincidence, a penchant for developing rituals to fill time (to battle nerves, impatience, or both), our efforts to cope with uncertainty, the need for control, and more. Vyse examines current behavioral research to demonstrate how complex and paradoxical human behavior can be understood through scientific investigation, while he addresses the personality features associated with superstition and the roles of superstitious beliefs in actions. Although superstition is a normal part of human culture, Vyse argues that we must provide alternative methods of coping with life's uncertainties by teaching decision analysis, promoting science education, and challenging ourselves to critically evaluate the sources of our beliefs.Wade Boggs is one of the best hitters baseball has ever known; at the plate he's a master technician. He also believes that eating chicken gives him good luck, so he's eaten chicken every day for years. Starting with the superstitions of ballplayers, Stuart Vyse, a psychology professor at Connecticut College, embarks on a fascinating exploration of superstitious thoughts in Believing In Magic. Employing scientific techniques and utilizing hard facts, Vyse shows how silly superstition really is. Yet he also admits that some people do perform better when they follow their superstitious rituals. This is a highly informative book, dealing with everything from chain letters to lucky charms to lottery systems.
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