Need for Control Linked to Superstition

When people feel that they lack control over their lives, they are liable to begin finding patterns where they do not exist and develop superstitious beliefs and ritualistic behaviors in an attempt to establish control. In a recent study, test subjects whose sense of control had been undermined by interviewers were more likely to exhibit this sort of pattern-finding behavior. Study participants were shown either a random dot pattern or a dot pattern containing a faint image. While all test subjects identified 95% of the hidden images, those who felt …

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Need for Control Linked to Superstition