Keep Your Fingers Crossed! How Superstition Improves Performance
Keep Your Fingers Crossed! How Superstition Improves Performance
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DOI：
10.1177/0956797610372631
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发表时间：
2010-07-01
影响因子：
8.2
通讯作者：
Mussweiler, Thomas
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Damisch, Lysann;Stoberock, Barbara;Mussweiler, Thomas
迷信通常被视为非理性思维的无关紧要的创造。然而，许多人在日常生活中依靠迷信的思想和做法来获得好运。迄今为止，人们对这种迷信的后果和潜在好处知之甚少。目前的研究通过证明迷信的表现优势并确定其潜在的心理机制来缩小这一差距。具体来说，实验1至4表明，通过一个共同的说法或行动（如：例如，在一个实施例中，“祝你好运”、”祝你好运“、”祝你好运此外，实验3和4表明，这些性能的好处产生的变化，感知自我效能。激活迷信可以增强参与者掌握即将到来的任务的信心，从而提高表现。最后，实验4表明，增加任务的持久性构成的一种手段，自我效能，迷信增强，提高性能。
Superstitions are typically seen as inconsequential creations of irrational minds. Nevertheless, many people rely on superstitious thoughts and practices in their daily routines in order to gain good luck. To date, little is known about the consequences and potential benefits of such superstitions. The present research closes this gap by demonstrating performance benefits of superstitions and identifying their underlying psychological mechanisms. Specifically, Experiments 1 through 4 show that activating good-luck-related superstitions via a common saying or action ( e. g., "break a leg," keeping one's fingers crossed) or a lucky charm improves subsequent performance in golfing, motor dexterity, memory, and anagram games. Furthermore, Experiments 3 and 4 demonstrate that these performance benefits are produced by changes in perceived self-efficacy. Activating a superstition boosts participants' confidence in mastering upcoming tasks, which in turn improves performance. Finally, Experiment 4 shows that increased task persistence constitutes one means by which self-efficacy, enhanced by superstition, improves performance.