Where Do Superstitions Ted

SUPERSTITIONS
Are you afraid ……………….. black cats?

Would you open an umbrella ………………..?
And how do you feel about the number thirteen?
Whether or not you believe in them, you're probably familiar ……………….. a few of these superstitions.
So how did it happen that people all ……………….. the world ……………….. on wood, or ………………..
stepping on sidewalk ………………..?
Well, although they have no ……………….. in ……………….., many of these weirdly specific beliefs and
practices do have equally ……………….. and specific origins.
Because they involve supernatural causes, it's no surprise that many superstitions are based in religion.
For example. the number thirteen was ……………….. ……………….. the biblical Last Supper, where Jesus
Christ dined with his twelve ……………….. just before being arrested and ………………...
The resulting idea that having thirteen people at a table was bad luck eventually ……………….. into thirteen
being an unlucky number in general.
Now, this fear of the number thirteen, called triskaidekaphobia, is so common that many buildings around the
world ……………….. the thirteenth floor, with the numbers going straight from twelve to fourteen.
Of course, many people ……………….. the story of the Last Supper to be true but other superstitions come
from religious traditions that few people believe ……………….. or even remember.
……………….. on wood is ……………….. to come from the folklore of the ancient Indo-Europeans or
possibly people who predated them who believed that trees were home to ……………….. spirits.
Touching a tree would invoke the protection or blessing of the ……………….. within.
And somehow, this tradition survived long after belief in these spirits had
……………….. away.
Many superstitions common today in countries from Russia to ……………….. are
thought to be remnants of the ……………….. religions that Christianity replaced.
But not all superstitions are religious.
Some are just based on unfortunate ……………….. and associations.
For example, many Italians ……………….. the number 17 because the Roman numeral
XVII can be rearranged to form the word vixi, meaning my life had ended.
Similarly, the word for the number four sounds almost identical to the word for ……………….. in Cantonese,
as well as languages like Japanese and Korean that have borrowed Chinese numerals.
And since the number one also sounds like the word for must, the number fourteen sounds like the phrase must
die.
That's a lot of numbers for ……………….. and international hotels to ………………...
And believe it or not, some superstitions actually make ……………….., or at least they did until we forgot
their original ………………...
For example, theater scenery used to consist ……………….. large painted backdrops, raised and lowered by
stagehands who would ……………….. to signal each other.
……………….. whistles from other people could cause an accident.
But the ……………….. against whistling backstage still exists today, long after the stagehands started using
radio ………………...
Along the same lines, lighting three cigarettes from the same ……………….. really could cause bad luck if you
were a soldier in a foxhole where keeping a match lit too long could draw attention from an enemy
………………...
Most smokers no longer have to worry about snipers, but the superstition lives ………………...
So why do people ……………….. to these bits of forgotten religions, coincidences, and ………………..
advice?
Aren't they being totally ………………..?
Well, yes, but for many people, superstitions are based more on cultural habit than conscious belief.
After all, no one is born knowing to avoid walking under ……………….. or whistling indoors, but if you grow
up being told by your family to avoid these things, chances are they'll make you ……………….., even after
you logically understand that nothing bad will happen.
And since doing something like knocking on wood doesn't require much ……………….., following the
superstition is often easier than consciously resisting it.
Besides, superstitions often do ……………….. to work.
Maybe you remember hitting a home run while wearing your lucky socks.
This is just our psychological ……………….. at work.
You're far less likely to remember all the times you struck out while wearing the same socks.
But believing that they work could actually make you play better by giving you the ……………….. of having
greater control over events.
So, in situations where that ……………….. can make a difference, like sports, those crazy superstitions might
not be so crazy after all.
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/where-do-superstitions-come-from-stuart-vyse#review

Where Do Superstitions Ted

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SUPERSTITIONS

Are you afraid ……………….. black cats?

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