Despite the huge steps of modern medicine and technical knowledge in today’s time, health superstitions still dominate people’s lives in many parts of the world. Most of these have their roots in cultural heritage, psychological reasons, and personal beliefs and experiences and thus are powerful dictators of people’s choices and actions relating to health.
Surprisingly, harmless and harmful alike, these superstitions go on and thrive due to man’s inborn need for comfort, control, and explanation relating to health challenges.
In this blog, we look at some of the most astonishing health superstitions that people still hold onto today, their origins, psychological effects, and the cultural context that keeps them alive.
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Key Takeaways
- Health superstitions persist due to cultural traditions and the psychological need for comfort and control, despite advances in medical science.
- Often, these beliefs are perpetuated by a cognitive bias where unrelated events are connected together and passed on by generational and social reinforcement.
- While health superstition may bring a little psychological relief in the form of a placebo effect, others could be very dangerous and will lead to grave mistakes, such as delay in appropriate medical care.
- Different health superstitions take the shape of cultural variations around the world, proof that belief in them is deeply embedded in a variety of societies and spiritual practices.
What Are Health Superstitions?
Superstition involves those beliefs or practices that are born out of irrational or supernatural ideas, rather than evidence-based reasoning. Health superstitions emanate from the perception that certain activities, objects, or rituals can affect health outcomes in ways that are rather adverse to medical science.
Although these are easily labeled as folklore, they hold a strong appeal psychologically. Superstitions offer comfort when one is uncertain, help the individual feel in control of his or her health, and often are perpetuated through cultural and generational transmission.
Psychology Behind Health Superstitions
Before discussing some of the specific examples, it is necessary to understand why superstitions continue. There is a variety of psychological reasons why these theories continue:
1. Cognitive Bias:
The brain of every human being is programmed in such a way that it tries to find regularities even when they are nonexistent. The pattern recognition or cognitive bias phenomenon leads people into connecting two unrelated events, such as the wearing of a lucky charm and a tettering health improvement, to reinforce a belief that the charm caused an improved state of health.
2. Cultural and social reinforcement:
Usually, superstitions pass from generation to generation. This gets them embedded in the family traditions, cultural rituals, and social norms and hence are very tough to challenge or debunk.
3. The Situationist:
Psychological comfort—such as during states of fear, anxiety, or times of uncertainty, for example, sickness—is another area where superstition offers control over the situation. While these beliefs may not be supported by science, they create an illusion of influence on an outcome through action, which provides psychological comfort.
Health Superstitions People Still Believe In Today:
1. An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
Translated literally, this saying has been with us for centuries to teach people that by consuming an apple every day, they will protect themselves against certain diseases. Indeed, apples are healthy and rich in fibers and vitamins, but this is a simplification for health—one size fits all. However, modern studies seem to show that it is simply a case of the people who eat apples often merely tend to live healthier lives, so there is no actual positive correlation with seeing the doctor less frequently because of that apple. It has endured because it rhymes and feeds into the larger idea of food as medicine. [4]
2. Starve a Fever, Feed a Cold
This advice passed down through generations had indicated that you should eat differently depending on whether you have a fever or cold. Traditionally, one was always made to believe that if he or she had a fever, the ailment would “burn” itself out by fasting, while one needed to eat plenty if he or she had a cold to regain strength. Modern medical experts, however, recommend staying well-nourished and hydrated regardless of whether you’re battling a fever or cold symptoms. In both cases, good nourishment would be required to help the body’s defenses, and fluid intake is important in recovery. That this notion persists is a reflection of how folk wisdom does not keep pace with medical progress. [4]
3. Walking Under a Ladder Brings Bad Luck
This is not, strictly speaking, a health-related superstition, but it is the sort of idea that could have partial implications for behavior when one is sickly or in a vulnerable state. This superstition is rooted in ancient Egypt, where the ladder leaned against the wall formed a triangle that represented the sacred trinity. Altering that by walking under the ladder was sure to bring in misfortune. However, walking underneath a ladder does nothing directly to a person’s health but this superstition remains a precautionary story among many cultures. [3]
4. Breaking a Mirror Brings Seven Years of Bad Luck
This superstition has its roots in the ancient Roman and Greek cultures, where mirrors were said to reflect not just one’s physical appearance but also one’s soul. A broken mirror would distort or damage the soul and bring misfortune for seven years. Of course, there is no logical and scientific basis supporting this belief; it is, however, a good example of how ancient spiritual conceptions still influence the behavior and perception of the world by the people of the modern world. [3]
5. Bad Luck from Black Cats
One of the most ingrained beliefs regards black cats as harbingers of bad luck, especially if it crosses one’s path. This belief stretches further back than European history, especially during medieval times where black cats were considered attachments to witchcraft. Although the superstition does not directly link to health, most of the time, it plays into a greater belief about misfortune and bad luck that can eventually take a toll on an individual’s mental and emotional well-being. [3]
6. Charms and Amulets for Good Health
Across the world, several cultures carry an amulet or wear a specific type of charm to protect against sickness or attract good health. In parts of Africa, “juju” charms are carried; in the Filipino culture, faith healers use such charms. These often could take the form of items worn about the neck or wrist to protect the wearer from sickness. This reflects the conjoining of spiritual and physical health in many traditional cultures. [5]
The Secret Influence of Health Superstitions on Behavior
It’s easy to view superstitions as harmless quirks, but their effects can have real-world consequences—and positive or negative ones at that.
Positive Effects of Health Superstitions
Psychological Relief: The following of superstitious rituals often comforts many people when they are faced with illness or uncertainty. This illusion of control releases persons from stress and anxiety.
This can be considered a placebo effect, whereby certain health superstitions may provoke an occurrence. When one believes that performing certain rituals, charms, or behaviors will bring about good health, they are more likely to experience real improvements because of the powerful effect of belief. [3]
Health Superstition Negative Effects
It makes people, in some cases, seek improper medical attention, as they instead rely on baseless rituals and practices. This may be harmful in a situation where one should seek medical attention early enough.
Reinforcing Irrational Fears: Superstitions can feed irrational fears that certain objects or actions will give them an illness or otherwise harm them. This may manifest in anxiety disorders, phobias, or obsessive-compulsive behaviors in severe cases. [3]
Cultural Variations of Health Superstitions
Not all people believe the same health superstitions; they change significantly with culture and often mirror a particular set of beliefs and practices.
1. Superstitions relating to Asian Health
The Chinese view certain numbers as bringing good and bad luck, affecting healthcare. For example, the number eight is thought to bring wealth, while the number four is unlucky since the word rhymes with “death.” This has implications for anything from hospital room numbers to timing of surgeries. [1]
2. African Traditions
Most communities on the African continent ascribe sicknesses to curses, witchcraft, or a way to appease ancestors. Traditional healing plays a great role in both diagnosis and treatment through the use of herbal remedies, spiritual rituals, and divination. Such traditional healers are often termed as “sangomas” or “witch doctors”. [5]
3. Western Superstitions
Even as scientific reasoning has dominated life in the West, health-related superstitions persist. These include beliefs such as the unluckiness of the number thirteen or the wood-knocking gesture to ward off bad fortune.
Final Thoughts
Living in the Information Age and amidst great scientific medical breakthroughs, health superstitions amazingly persist. They stand as a witness to the power of cultural traditions and the psychological comfort this brings into an illusion of control to humanity, inasmuch as most outcomes remain unsure.
While health professionals advocate for evidence-based treatments, they should respect these beliefs as part of the role they play in people’s lives. After all, the deeper meaning of health superstitions cannot be reduced simply to a denial of scientific logic, as they also represent a vital connection between individuals, history, emotions, and spiritual well-being.
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References
[1] https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/326330
[2] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7266200/
[3] https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/superstitions
[4] https://www.overlakehospital.org/blog/medical-superstitions-myths-versus-facts
[5] https://www.paramountdirect.com/blogs/health-and-superstitions
[6] https://health.usnews.com/health-care/patient-advice/slideshows/13-health-superstitions-to-reconsider
[7] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340089754_Superstition_in_health_beliefs_Concept_exploration_and_development