FEELING LUCKY?

Are you superstitious? Most people would say no, but in fact, many of us do make choices in
our lives that are completely irrational. In the US, Friday,the 13th is thought to be so unluky
that 10,000 fewer people fly on this day. And businesses make much less money than other
Fridays, because fewer people are traveling. Also, some elevators in the US even skip the 13th
floor, moving from the 12th floor to the 14th floor.Similarly in Japan and China,people are
superstitious about the number 4, and buildings sometimes lack a 4th floor.

Famous athletes are sometimes known for being superstitious. Michael Jordan wore the same
lucky blue underwear during every professional game of his life. Tiger Woods always wears a
red shirt on tournament Sundays. And professional tennis player, Serena Williams, is known
to repeatedly wear the same socks during a winning tournament.

Even scientists, who we expect to be very rational, are known to be superstitious. Before every
NASA space launch, the commander must play a game of cards with the technical crew and
continue playing until he loses. There are stories of superstitious commanders continuing to
play late into the night until they can successfully lose.

So why do we believe that some things bring us good luck and other things bring us bad luck?
Well, humans are pattern seeking creatures. We have a great day and we notice that we were
wearing our favorite shirt, so that becomes our lucky shirt. Or we get into a car accident on
Friday the 13th, so we think that our bad luck must be due to the day. Many times
superstitions start because people notice coincidences and think they are seeing a meaningful
pattern.

Of course, most of us know that superstitions are irrational, but many of us still follow at least
one or two of them. According to new research, irrational superstitions might not be a bad
thing. In one psychology experiment, people were tested on their golfing skills. Half of the
people were randomly selected and told that their balls were lucky. These people scored 35%
better than those given “normal” balls. Of course, both the “lucky” balls and the “normal” balls
were exactly the same. The researchers believe that using a “lucky” ball, made people feel
more confidence, which led to better performance. What about you? Do you or people you
know have any interesting superstitions?

Vocabulary:

- Irrational /ɪˈræʃənl/: not based on, or not using, clear logical thought ( vô lý, phi lý )
Opp: rational (a): based on reason rather than emotions
- Superstition /ˌsuːpərˈstɪʃəs/: the belief that particular events happen in a way that cannot
be explained by reason or science; the belief that particular events bring good or bad luck
(Mê tín dị đoan) => (a) superstitious: thuộc mê tín dị đoan
- Athlete /ˈæθliːt/ a person who competes in sports :vận động viên
- Commander /kə'mɑ:ndə/ a person who is in charge of something, especially an officer in
charge of a particular group of soldiers or a military operation (người chỉ huy)
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