What effect do superstitions have on people?do they really matter?

quantum physics has proved that reality is a matter of perspective/expectation. superstition is just another perspective, but, in some cultures these are believed so much by so many that they have a real and visible effect. some are even believed so much that they have become a cultural taboo to those cultures that believe them

superstitions have their own merits and demerits. while some superstitions can blind ppl from science and facts others help in everyday life.for example there exists a superstition in Indian houses that one shouldn't enter the house with shoes on or without their legs washed....this in a way helps in keeping up cleanliness and scientifically avoids diseases. superstitions would have been a must to follow if there was not much emphasis on science.in a way superstitions reflect science...but in todays world with improvement in scientific knowledge superstitions are not really necessary except for those folks who wont understand things when said in a scientific way.4 example if i told a man with no knowledge abt science not to sleep under trees at night(as c02 is released with is not good 4 health) he wouldn't understand and hence wouldn't care...but if i told him he would b cursed in doing so...he surely wont do it. this is the double benefit of superstitions!

Superstition does not llow people to think and understand truth and tehy wallow in the mire of ignorance . many of them are founded on ignorance of the nature of things , nature is the fundamental science .and truth .

Probably most are not true, But people will not chance going against them "just in case" It`s sort of like religion, a lot of people say that they don`t believe but go to church and pray.

If people believe they're true, they can become true. "Oh, a black cat crossed my path and I'll have bad luck! And it's Friday the 13th! I can't do anything because I'll have bad luck. The copier's out of toner--that's bad luck!" I myself am extremely superstitious. I can laugh at myself, but I knock on wood and avoid cracks in the sidewalk and everything else. Benny Parsons, a NASCAR commentator, recently said, "Drivers aren't superstitious. That would be bad luck." :-)

it all depends on yr beliefs

if some 1 deeply believs in superstitious stuff then such things do materialises....esplly if it has been something u were made to believe in during ur grown up time....like in our custom we are to wear new dress on wed, thurs, fridays and not anyother days of the week as i was told as a child that if i did wear them in any other day it will tear off soon.....recently i got a new dress which i decided to try out on saturday, thinking that superstition was all crap.....but unfortunately since the whole stuff had gone ingrained in my mind ...so changing my inner apprehensions was difficult ....my worst fear came true ...i damaged the b'ful dress the very day i wore it!!

I guess if you believe in them enough, they could be very true. Example: you are driving down a road and see a black cat cross your "path"... you keep going, but keep worrying about that black cat and end up wrecking into a car that is stopped at a stop sign. Did the black cat Really make you wreck? Or did you focus more on what it meant to have a black cat cross your path than watching the road in front of you? I was actually in the car with the person who did this. And to this day, they blame the black cat.

All superstitions come from ancient and some from modern times. Like knock on wood throwing salt over your right shoulder etc. and they continue to exist because people take many of them at face value and not research them. Knocking on wood comes from ancient people knocking on a fruit tree and asking that tree to be fruitful. As for salt, it was truly a life saver, Also at that time thought salt was a very precious Item and the people at that time felt spilling it was a major sin so someone came up with the idea that to be forgiven for spilling salt you should throw it over your right shoulder into some gods face and you will be safe etc. I have left out ten tons of things but if you really want to know more make your local public library your source of information............ So to the unknowing yes it does matter..........