A study published in the current edition of the journal Psychological Science suggests that superstitions and good luck charms may actually improve performance on tasks by increasing confidence. German researchers recently tested 151 university students and found that those who had a good luck charm performed better on tasks than those without.
For the study, the research team asked the subjects to complete a puzzle in which 36 small balls were aligned into holes.
One group of subjects was timed starting with the click of a stop watch and another was timed starting with a phrase that translates to "I'll cross my fingers for you." A majority of those who started with the reassuring phrase completed the puzzle faster than those who did not.
The team also observed that those who kept lucky charms with them during the experiments were more likely to set their goals higher and approach each task with greater confidence.
In another experiment, students playing golf with what they believed to be a lucky ball performed better than those who believed they were playing with the same ball as everyone else.
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May 01, 2026 15:54 ET Central banks dominated the economics news flow this week with almost all major ones announcing their latest policy decisions and many boosted expectations for a rate hike in June. In other news, several countries released the preliminary data for first quarter economic growth. In the U.S., comments by Fed Chair Jerome Powell were also in focus as his term ends this month.