📋 The Psychology of Magical Thinking
We are all prone to believe in magic, in fact it seems to be built in to the human mind. Find out more about the psychological roots of magical thinking in this article from Psychology Today.
Magical ThinkingWhat are your favorite examples of magical thinking? Why is it that we find it so compelling?
My favorite example is probably karma because its fun to think that bad people have bad things coming to them eventually and that good people will have good things happen.
My favorite example was also karma because it’s nice to see bad things happen to bad people and nice things happen to good people. Overall I thought the article was very interesting but the karma section really stood out to me.
I think it’s incredibly interesting to see so many different examples of the “magic” that people endure int their everyday lives. When I was growing up I had a lucky pair of socks that I wore for every test, quiz, and exam. It brought me the luck that was desired.
I personally deem myself as a pretty spiritual person, I’m often seeking out and finding “signs” from deceased loved ones or find certain anomalies in everyday life that to me seem unexplainable. I feel like its human nature to find comfort in small things or rituals that we believe provide some kind of significance in the grand scheme of things and it makes perfect sense that these are all universal tactics we use to combat many different experiences in life.
there is no explanation for magical thinking but manifesting something is very possible. if I had to compare and contrast, I would probably say that magical thinking can either exist or not exist. but manifesting is a one-way street, it real. if you want something really bad and you either talk about it a lot or take action to make it become real.
I think it is ineresting that it’s interesting how everybody sees different forms of magic and may not consider it all magic. Personally, I would consider myself spiritual which you could argue is apart of magic or not.
I think my favorite example is karma because I believe in it. I think that if you do good in the world and put out good energy, good things will come your way. I think if you put negative energy into the universe and do bad things, bad things will happen to you.
It is really interesting to think of where some forms of magical thinking have originated from. For example, some of the magical thinking beliefs that have been around me personally for as long as I can remember are the tradition of blowing out birthday candles, snapping the turkey wishbone on Thanksgiving, finding four leaf clovers for luck, the notion of karma, and the misfortune of the 13th of each month. I agree with Dr. Peter Brugger that it is unhealthy to be on the far left or right side of the magical thinking spectrum, “skeptics”, or “schizophrenia”. On the skeptic side, you would experience zero type of magical thinking which would lead to the inability to experience pleasure. Moreover, on the far right of the spectrum, “schizophrenia”, you would experience a paranoid false reality. Therefore, it is good/healthy to have a balance.
I thought this article was an interesting read. I don’t personally consider myself superstitious or someone that really believes in magic but I have certain behaviors that align with these beliefs. For example, I knock on wood in the hopes of preventing something bad from happening after talking about it. And there are also certain things that I don’t necessarily believe are evil, but I would want no part in. For example, the serial killer sweatshirt example from class or using a Ouija board. I think it’s really interesting that even though many people wouldn’t say they believe in magic, they still exhibit these kind of behaviors that are rooted in magical thinking.
After this article I feel very different about my thoughts and where I channel my magical thinking. I do not consider myself one to believe in magic or anything of that nature. I also feel as though I am not a superstitious person at all but this article did open my eyes to the knowledge behind magical thinking. My favorite example is defiantly karma because it is defiantly a real thing and just funny how bad things happen to bad people.
I found reading this article extremely enjoyable due to the fact that it is interesting to think about how things no matter how hard humans try they cannot explain it rationally. Some things might include how children can say things to their mothers about miscarriages that they had no idea about or people that talk about crazy near-death experiences. It is interesting to read about how sometimes the brain can make up thoughts to make people feel more at ease about things that are out of their control. The example given was that people like to believe karma is real and that people that do wrong to others get what they deserve. It is also nice to know that magical thinking gives people hope and that it does not interfere with practical life.
Magical thinking for me is a weird topic, because although I believe if you’re an all around good person, good things will come, more times than not I hear the saying “why do bad things happen to good people?”. I do believe that whether it’s God or just science, if you’re on a good track in life, many abnormal things will happen, but for the best. Alone from that, I do believe magic is very real in many instances. Back when I was a kid and believed in Santa Claus, my brother had gone to Germany for the Air Force and came back with a tree ornament of a pickle. In Germany it’s supposed to be a magical figure; it would mean whichever kid found the pickle on the tree, Santa would bring you an extra gift along with good luck.