Friday the 13th: When Superstition Prevails

Are there things you won't do on the 13th? Do you avoid walking under ladders? Even the skeptics harbor some magical thoughts.

Begrudingly Bewitched

We're wired to find patterns and meaning—even where none exists

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201105/superstition-and-magical-thinking-are-you-believer/begrudingly-bewitched

Do Coincidences Matter?

Serendipity suggests some unseen order in the world

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201105/superstition-and-magical-thinking-are-you-believer/do-coincidences-matter

Make Your Own Luck

You don't have to believe in fate to make it work for you

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201105/superstition-and-magical-thinking-are-you-believer/make-your-own-luck

Curse of the Bambino: Supernatural Sports

View from the otherworldly dugout

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201105/superstition-and-magical-thinking-are-you-believer/curse-the-bambino-mysticism-in

Black cats, broken mirrors, and eating disorders

My anorexic superstitions only made life seem okay.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201105/friday-the-13th-when-superstition-prevails/black-cats-broken-mirrors-and-eating-d

Preaching Doomsday: Living in the End Times

In these anxious times, it's not difficult getting a rise out of someone

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201105/friday-the-13th-when-superstition-prevails/preaching-doomsday-living-in-the-end-t

The Power of the Weird

Knowing "the unknowable"

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201105/superstition-and-magical-thinking-are-you-believer/the-bitter-pill-skepticism

Are Autistic and Psychic People Similar?

A shared capacity for knowing without explaining

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201105/superstition-and-magical-thinking-are-you-believer/are-autistic-and-psychic-peopl

Harder, Better, Faster, Luckier

Superstitious charms and rituals actually do improve performance.

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201105/superstition-and-magical-thinking-are-you-believer/harder-better-faster-luckier

Is There Life After Death?

It depends how you think about your body

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201105/superstition-and-magical-thinking-are-you-believer/life-after-death

Knock on Wood

The benefits of good-luck rituals

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201105/superstition-and-magical-thinking-are-you-believer/knock-wood-lucky-charm-can-cha

The Power of Four-Leaf Clovers

It's greater than you think

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201105/superstition-and-magical-thinking-are-you-believer/validating-four-leaf-clovers

Signs and Omens

Are they for real?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/collections/201105/superstition-and-magical-thinking-are-you-believer/signs-and-omens-are-they-real