Knocking on wood can actually undo jinxes after all

Bragging about how you've never broken a bone while balancing on a skateboard with one foot? Looks like you better knock on wood.

The ritual of knocking on wood, which likely dates back to ancient religions that viewed trees as the homes of spirits or gods, might be more useful than it seems — not because it will banish bad luck but because it makes people feel like they have. A new study has found that some superstitious actions calm people's worries about bad luck after they've tempted fate. But not just any motion will lift a jinx.

The study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology tested how, psychologically, we perceive bad luck after superstitious rituals. Some subjects jinxed themselves and then knocked on wood — a common superstitious ritual — or throw a ball — an unsuperstitious act — to determine how lucky they were feeling after pushing away all that bad energy. Then researchers told subjects to hold a ball or knock on wood toward their bodies.

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Those who knocked or threw away their bad luck perceived their chances suffering misfortune were less likely than those who didn't, according to the study. For example, if you told your friends you had never been in a car accident and felt an ominous sense your drive home would end in disaster, then you knocked on the wall, you might be less likely to envision a car wreck all evening, and as a result, you'd feel a bit better about your chances of driving safely.