The lucky charms in the car

A talisman hangs on the car key, boxing gloves or bird feathers can be seen on the rear-view mirror and a teddy bear watches over the back seat: in this way, many people hope to keep bad luck away from them.

And that can actually work – albeit not magically. Almost one in five adults in Germany owns a lucky charm, according to a representative survey commissioned by Gothaer Insurance five years ago.

Most of the time it is a piece of jewelry, a cuddly toy or a guardian angel. Almost a third of those surveyed said they were at least somewhat superstitious.

Superstition is based on “magical thinking: the belief in phenomena that are incompatible with the scientific world view,” explains psychologist Klaus Peter Kalendruschat of Tüv Nord.

He says: "We all have a tendency to do this a little. We are constantly looking for connections between events, even where there actually are none."

Recognizing cause and effect once gave our ancestors a survival advantage. However, the search for such connections also gives rise to superstition. Distortions in human thinking then ensure that superstitions seem to be confirmed again and again.

The lucky charms in the car

"We prefer to perceive what corresponds to our opinion and store random occurrences in our memory as confirmation," explains psychologist Klaus Peter Kalendruschat. "We ignore evidence to the contrary."

What's more, a lucky charm acts like a self-fulfilling prophecy. It can actually help you get lucky, as psychologist Lysann Damisch and her team from the University of Cologne demonstrated in a series of experiments.

For example, when their test subjects were asked to bring a lucky charm with them, they performed better on a memory test than a control group without a lucky charm. However, this has nothing to do with supernatural powers, but rather with the power of positive expectations, reports the research group.

The lucky charm helped boost self-confidence and perseverance. Psychologist Donald Saucier of Kansas State University is skeptical of lucky charms precisely because they convey a feeling of security and control.

From studies with around 900 test subjects, he and his team concluded that superstition is based on the belief that life depends more on chance or fate than on one's own actions.

And those who see uncontrollable forces at work are more likely to seek protection in superstition rather than taking their fate into their own hands. Klaus Peter Kalendruschat from Tüv Nord also fears that a false sense of security in traffic could lead to people driving less cautiously.

Nevertheless, a lucky charm can have positive effects - without any magic, as the psychologist emphasizes: "For example, if it reminds us of a loved one who needs us. Then we might behave a little more carefully when driving."

© Photos: Viktor Theo (1), Ralph (Ravi) Kayden (1), Unsplash