Believing in Magic: The Psychology Of Superstition - Updated Edition - Softcover

Vyse, Stuart A.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 019999692X ISBN 13: 9780199996926

Publisher: Oxford University Press, Usa, 2013

Synopsis

While we live in a technologically and scientifically advanced age, superstition is as widespread as ever. Not limited to just athletes and actors, superstitious beliefs are common among people of all occupations, educational backgrounds, and income levels.

In this fully updated edition of Believing in Magic, renowned superstition expert Stuart Vyse investigates our tendency towards these irrational beliefs. Superstitions, he writes, are the natural result of several psychological processes, including our human sensitivity to coincidence, a penchant for developing rituals to fill time (to battle nerves, impatience, or both), our efforts to cope with uncertainty, the need for control, and more. In a new Introduction, Vyse discusses important developments and the latest research on jinxes, paranormal beliefs, and luck. He also distinguishes superstition from paranormal and religious beliefs and identifies the potential benefits of superstition for believers. He examines the research to demonstrate how we can better understand complex human behavior. Although superstition is a normal part of our culture, Vyse argues that we must provide alternative methods of coping with life's uncertainties by teaching decision analysis, promoting science education, and challenging ourselves to critically evaluate the sources of our beliefs.

About this title

About the Author

Stuart A. Vyse is Joanne Toor Cummings '50 Professor of Psychology at Connecticut College.

Edition details

• Publisher: Oxford University Press, Usa
• Publication date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 019999692X
• ISBN 13: 9780199996926
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 328