Scientists Say Lucky Charms, Superstitions Actually Work

Do you carry a lucky rabbit's foot, or an enchanted bling ring for good luck? If not, maybe you should consider it. That's what researchers at the University of Cologne in Germany are saying after they did an experiment testing the effects of superstitions on performance related outcomes.

The first experiment looked at the influence of the concept of good luck in a test of putting a golf ball. Experimenters handed participants a ball, and those who were told the ball was lucky tended to outperform those who weren’t.

In another experiment, participants were given a cube containing tiny balls and a slab with holes. The goal was to get as many balls in the holes as quickly as possible. Again, participants who were told, "I’ll cross my fingers for you," by the experimenter performed better.

The final two experiments involved a lucky charm brought by each participant. In a memory test and an anagram test, the participants who were permitted to keep their lucky charms with them performed better.

The caveat is that it only relates to performance-based good luck. Researchers speculate that the cause is a boost in confidence brought about by the lucky object, so for things like winning the lottery, where your own performance is irrelevant, you may as well skip the bling ring. (Lulu, let me know what flavor you want for your Super Enchanted Magical Witch Repelling Bling Ring.)