Black cats bringing bad luck, avoiding walking under ladders or the number 13.

A superstition could be either avoiding breaking a mirror or wearing a certain pair of socks on a certain day because they both have the intention to garner or avoid luck, and to have a sense of control.

Superstitions are everywhere

All around campus, students have found ways to control their luck. For many students, especially before big events, clothing helps them find comfort and confidence.

For senior Kaitlyn Barry, she finds luck in wearing a certain jacket to theater and choir events.

“I have this green flannel jacket that I wear over my dress afterwards or when I’m on my way to school,” Barry said. “I’m not gonna just wear my dress, I’ll wear my flannel over it. So I’m a little bit more casual, and it’s like, if I don’t wear it, then I’m like, ‘Well, I’m gonna miss every note, my voice is gonna crack, it’s gonna be terrible.’”

Since wearing the jacket, Barry hits all her notes, and feels more confident.

“It’s my favorite color, and it’s like a comfort item: something you just wrap yourself up in, and you’re just so powerful,” Barry said.

For many students, specific superstitious accessories and clothes make them feel more confident. Sophomore Alex Quiroz depends on his outfits for luck in debate tournaments.

“I just brought sunglasses because it was a gag for a year and a half, and then I brought one specific pair of sunglasses and I got second place at a tournament,” sophomore Alex Quiroz said. “Now this specific pair is just gonna come on with me every time I need luck.”

Along with his sunglasses, Quiroz also has a briefcase that he brings with him to debate tournaments.

“I also have a briefcase that my grandfather got me, that one does have actual sentimental value,” Quiroz said. “I’m less likely to forget speeches if I have a briefcase with me. [It’s] very difficult to lose, compared to a lot of other satchels and stuff. So I guess it just draws in luck.”

Other times, what brings people luck is not what they wear or an item they have, but rather something more along the lines of a mindset. This is true for senior Trixie Tarbert.

“I try to avoid bad luck by not thinking about the outcomes of something,” Tarbert said. “I feel like if I think about the outcomes, even though it’s probably not true, it feels like what I think influences what it lands on.”

For debate teacher Samantha Ollweiler, jotting down thoughts brings her a sense of comfort. Even without paper, she traces her surrounding surfaces with her fingers to mimic writing her thoughts down.

“I think that it makes me feel more composed, because I’m able to categorize the feelings that I’m feeling, especially if it’s nervousness or if it’s excitement,” Ollweiler said. “My brain almost feels more organized and prepared for the day or the event that I’m about to go into because I wrote my thoughts or feelings down.”

Sophomore Chase Wolgamuth has a pre-game ritual before wrestling tournaments that helps him perform better. He wears two socks of different colors, and matches the bands he receives before going on the wrestling mat to his socks.

“I think I did it once by accident, and then after a while, I realized, ‘Oh, wait, this makes me wrestle good for some reason,’ so I did it,” Wolgamuth said.

Sometimes performing a superstition changes the outcome of a day for someone, such as when freshman Shreeya Rajakumar wears mismatched socks.

“Every time I wear non-mismatched socks, and…the day is just too calm, nothing happens that’s notable,” Rajakumar said. “[But] when I wear mismatched socks, which is usually, if I can help it, my day will be more interesting. Things will go very well or very bad, but I don’t mind if it’s going bad as long as something’s happening. I feel like more things just happen to me when I’m wearing mismatched socks.”

Rajakumar wears mismatched socks as a form of self expression. Wearing mismatched socks fits her personality more than matched socks.

“I feel too calm,” Rajakumar said. “I feel too put together, and I feel like I’m not a very put together person, so [it] doesn’t reflect my personality accurately. Thus I must have many [mis-matched] socks because I feel mismatched.”

Superstitions can stem from one person, and also from prior generations. Certain cultures have superstitions that have spanned from years, like for the Spring Festival in China, people avoid cutting their hair since it is considered a curse on their uncles.

With Rajakumar’s family, she and her family follow many superstitious practices that formed from past experiences, an example being a routine that they do every Tuesday and Friday that brings them good luck and helps them avoid bad luck.

“On Tuesdays and Fridays, we have good days, and those are [days where] if you have the option to take a test or anything, they should be on Tuesdays and Fridays,” Rajakumar said. “You’re not allowed to cut your hair on Tuesdays or Fridays or cut your nails because it’s like shedding a part of yourself.”

Harmful or helpful?

Some of these actions may not seem like typical superstitions, but they do have a superstitious feel. Often, superstitions are viewed as irrational, mystical beliefs.

But both superstitions and routines have a common denominator: bringing people comfort.

In journalist Emile Le Beau Lucchesi 2024 article “How your superstition may benefit you,” she cites a study in which 28 participants in a study were tasked with making golf putts. Some participants were told prior that their golf ball was lucky, while some had a neutral ball. Those who had the “lucky” ball performed better than those with the neutral ball.

For many people, believing an item or a ritual brings luck helps to boost their self-efficacy. 

Barry’s green jacket reduces her anxiety before her choir performances.

“I haven’t messed up yet and I haven’t fallen off the stage at the concert,” Barry said.

Rajakumar finds that superstitions give her and her family a sense of order.

“Especially for people in my family, I think [superstitions] can be really helpful because they bring some sense of order or organized disorder [to a schedule], like my socks, and they can help alleviate some calming tensions,” Rajakumar said.

However, for some people, their superstitions might be considered harmful. A downside of believing in superstitions is having an overreliance on it in times of need.

According to “The psychology of superstitions in sports” by The Rabbit Hole, If a lucky item is not there, or a ritual is not performed, athletes may often experience stress and a poorer performance.

“I would say that [superstitions are] kind of harmful, if I’m being honest,” Barry said. “If my flannel isn’t clean or I can’t find it, then I’m automatically gonna [feel like] I’m just gonna fail.”

Freshman Zoe Zampella practices many superstitions from collecting pennies on the street to believing certain numbers on the clock bring luck, all of which she has not seen bring her any concrete, positive results. At the same time, if she does not perform these actions, she receives bad luck.

“I believe all [superstitions], and I think they’re harmful because they’ve made me paranoid,” Zampella said.

While superstitions may cause harm if taken too far, people also use them to avoid experiencing possible harm or bad consequences. 

Rajakumar’s family believes in avoiding wearing secondhand clothing to keep away from other people’s bad karma.

“It’s a worry that if somebody else wears anything thrifted or if I’m borrowing clothing from a friend, only their bad energy will seep from them into the fabric,” Rajakumar said. “Then when I wear it, it will seep back into me, and I will have all their bad luck.”

This superstition stemmed from Rajakumar’s aunt trying on thrifted clothes from the store and catching hand, foot, mouth disease.

“My parents are very superstitious people, so they were like, ‘Yes, that is the bad energy from the clothing, this is what she gets for not buying new clothing and instead taking somebody else’s,’” Rajakumar said. “So if you wear secondhand clothing, you’re [going to] get bad karma.”

Overall, teachers and students alike have many small ways of finding and gaining luck. Whether it be through lucky socks, mindful thoughts or avoiding things with bad karma, students have found a variety of ways to add a sense of control to their day-to-day lives. 

In some ways, those very routines and superstitions can bring people together.

“I have a student who brings sunglasses to every debate tournament,” Ollweiler said. “It’s really funny, and it’s entertaining to watch because whenever we take our team picture, he’s always wearing his sunglasses, but it seemingly makes him more confident. It brings him joy, and it brings us joy.”