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Maddy Walters
Lower Sixth
West Town

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Very Superstitious

Sitting in a cafe on a busy street in Clifton, I have an excellent view of a ladder propped up against the wall, creating a V-shaped obstruction of the pavement- forcing pedestrians to duck under, or to dodge the cars parked alongside and walk on the road. I sit in this spot for a good hour or so, and never in this time does a single person duck under the ladder. Instead, they do, just as I did when I was walking on the same stretch of pavement, risk the surely more perilous option of a busy road, over walking anywhere that could be deemed 'unlucky'.

So, why do we cross our fingers, touch wood and avoid walking under ladders? When we think of the actions we are truly performing- twisting our fingers into an unnatural shape in the hope that it will help our situation, to an observing alien who knew nothing of our culture, would seem a bazaar thing to do. And yet, it is accepted- unquestioned and unjustified.

This is surely an odd type of behaviour, and yet we are not alone, the psychologist Skinner found that pigeons also show superstitious behaviour, and it has been proven that other animals from across the world are also privy to this, though admittedly at a more primitive level. So, why do we consider certain things 'unlucky', while others are deemed 'lucky'? In Hong Kong a number plate with the number 8 was sold for $640,000, as the Chinese believe the number 8 brings prosperity and good fortune. Meanwhile in the English theatre, saying the word “Macbeth” backstage before a performance can be seen as close to treason.

In a recent study at Harvard University, it has been found that people have evolved to become superstitious because it pays to take a “better safe than sorry” approach to life. However, something doesn't sit right with me here- admittedly avoiding ladders in case they fall and saying a smashed mirror is unlucky seems to fit with this conclusion, however, how can it have ever been beneficial to touch something wooden to stop a bad thing happening, or to twist our fingers into a strange shape in order to bring good luck, even in evolutionary terms?

No I think, to me at least, these superstitions are quirks- glitches in our evolutionary programming- accidental traits that slipped through the cleansing process of “survival of the fittest”. And I think that it is wonderful. There is something inherently human in seeing a line of people in unspoken agreement dodging a ladder, whispering 'finger's crossed!' or adding a supplementary 'touch wood!' to the end of a sentence, and why should it be another way? Words are a gift to the human race, and should never be taken lightly. Let’s hope that in 500 years our forebears are still clinging to these little absurdities. I'll have my fingers crossed.

2 February 2012

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