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Why people perform superstitious rituals

by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa

Jun 24

Q: After the Air India crash, some airline people are performing rituals in the airplanes. Why do you think they are becoming so irrational?

Krishna: Yes, facepalm moments for the scientific community

Did you know that hospital walls heard more prayers than temple walls? And war zones heard more prayers than prayer halls?
Now airplanes are hearing more prayers than the latter ones after the Air India crash.
There is a real research story on how superstitions take root: When Trobriand (in South Pacific)Islanders went fishing their behaviour changed, depending on where they fished. When they fished close to shore—where the waters were calm, the fishing was consistent, and the risk of disaster was low—superstitious behaviour among them was nearly nonexistent. But when the fishermen sailed for open seas—where they were far more vulnerable and their prospects far less certain—their behaviour shifted. They became very superstitious, often engaging in elaborate religious rituals to ensure success. In other words, a low sense of control had produced a high need for superstition. One, in effect, substituted for the other.
Something bad happens to you. You don't know why it happened because you don't have knowledge about it. You fear it might happen again. You try to connect it to something unrelated, because you cannot think properly without basic knowledge, try to shift the blame to it and avoid it. Even if there is no positive  outcome because of this irrational behaviour, you get temporary emotional support you cling on to and you refuse to let go. 

Soldiers in battle, who stare at death most of the time, have long been known for their superstitious ways because of the fear of  loss of life.

And some sport persons, movie stars, airline pilots, and even astronauts perform strange rituals and follow superstitions.

During hard times,  during these moments of vulnerability—when we feel we have done all that we can do and the matter is out of our hands—when the pull of superstition becomes almost irresistible. When people hit the  rock bottom, when there seems no hope, simply believing that we have some sort of edge which can be brought by following some rituals - no matter how dumb they look to rational thinking people - can be enough to actually give  people following them that pseudo-edge. Some feel a placebo effect because of following some rituals of superstitions and regaining lost confidence.

While scientists and tech people are trying their best to understand how  this tragedy happened  and searching ways to avoid it, some are going the irrational way. 
But science's rules are unyielding, they will not be bent for anybody or anything. 
When several factors decide outcomes, they follow the interplay of scientific rules and exactly fit into the reaction realities.
No matter what you do, you can never bend scientific rules. Science yields to only science and nothing else. You have to follow only the scientific route if you want to change something or improve a condition. Period!