Good luck charms have psychological value – if kept in perspective

Good luck charms are in the news today.

CNN looks at the power — and psychological value — of the good luck charm, specifically with athletes.

Basketball legend Michael Jordan wore his college shorts under his NBA uniform. Third baseman Wade Boggs ate chicken before each game.

"For athletes, there's this unpredictability in sports. They never know how they're going to play, how the other team is going to play, so when you do something that's superstitious, like wearing a trinket, it gives you a greater sense of control," said Gregg Steinberg, professor of human performance at Austin Peay State University.

Stuart Vyse of Connecticut College agrees:

"Baseball players and others who engage in superstitious behaviors understanding that they have no scientific support are likely to say 'I just don't want to take a chance.' And they get an emotional benefit from doing something that makes them feel like they have greater control. Even when that feeling is an illusion."

Scientific American looks at the rabbit's foot. Why does it have such a good-luck reputation? The speculation is endless, and often quite dark — read the piece here — but what's most interesting is that even artificial feet seem to hold power to its owners.

"The belief in the power of the artifact transcends the actual power of the artifact, which allows the owner to overlook the technicalities of creation — and permits the item to draw on a history as a source for its power," Krystal D'Costa writes.

Essentially, our belief in the good luck charm is what makes it a good luck charm.

The Chicago Tribune provides a "caution" angle, encouraging parents to help their kids keep good luck charms in perspective. While they can "help kids handle anxiety and provide a sense of control," rituals and objects can also immobilize. Raise a red flag if your offspring find it difficult to function when the specific charm is absent.