Have you ever wondered how superstitions affect your mental health? Superstitions are incredibly enthralling – people believe in them even when we know they cannot be real. We believe in them anyway, because of the common saying: it’s better to be safe than sorry. More often than not, we notice how superstitions alter our behaviour and mindset, but we may not consciously realise the effects they have on our mental health, especially during auspicious seasons when our anxieties come out to play. Superstitions can affect mental health both positively and negatively, but changes we make to our behaviour are more likely driven by what we fear would happen otherwise. This phenomenon is also known as phobic superstition, where a superstition can result in anxiety and worry, resulting in changed behaviour to avoid negative outcomes.
As a mental health advocate and a student majoring in Psychology, I find myself drawn to understanding the implications of our thoughts and how they influence our mental health. Superstitions are subjective, abstract and interpreted differently by every individual, so it is difficult to label them as purely “good” or “bad”. However, the effect of superstitious beliefs on mental health are rooted in concrete concepts that can help us determine if they are doing more harm than good or vice versa.
The Hungry Ghost Festival is deeply embedded in traditional Chinese culture and takes place in the 7th month of the lunar calendar, usually in mid-August. During the period of the festival, people believe the gates of hell are opened, freeing the souls in the underworld to look for food in the realm of the living. The Chinese will make offerings and sacrifices to ensure those who are still alive will live peacefully, while feeding and appeasing those who have passed on. These ritualistic practices and beliefs are part of superstitions the Chinese have passed down from generation to generation.
There are certain superstitions specific to the Hungry Ghost Festival that the Chinese are encouraged to practise. Some examples of these superstitions include not borrowing an umbrella, not tapping on someone’s shoulder and not to schedule celebratory events like weddings during the 7th lunar month. The reason behind avoiding these actions is to ensure people do not anger the spirits and ghosts who have been freed and are existing amongst the living. These superstitious beliefs are tied to the presence of ghosts and spirits, beings that humans are unable to touch and see according to scientific reasoning. So why do some people still believe so strongly in something they cannot even see?
Dating back to primitive times, our ancestors came up with superstitions as a means to “feel more in control” of their lives since they “lacked concrete ways to influence their survival outcomes”. Since then, these beliefs have trickled down all the way to generations today, who still believe in them in spite of how much our society and cultures have evolved. We have more control and autonomy over our lives today, compared to our ancestors, and we live in an age of science and technology. Science is the basis on which any phenomenon and concept is reasoned and proven. Ghosts have yet to be a proven phenomenon, as most of us know, yet we still find ourselves subscribing to superstitions.
Possible encounters with ghosts result in people experiencing a great deal of anxiety, driving them to religious and cultural practices to keep ghosts at bay. While there is no scientific evidence to prove the existence of ghosts, science offers explanations as to why some people believe that they have encountered ghosts and spirits. Our brains merely perceive what we receive through our senses, and ghost encounters occur most often at night, when our senses are most heightened as we are unaware of what lurks in the night… plus, there are fewer people are around once the sun has set. Anxiety and fear are two of the main causes that lead people to believe that they have truly encountered a ghost, and since our brain can only perceive the information we feed it, it only reinforces the belief that ghosts exist around us. The brain can sometimes picture things that are not really there, and this is a form of inattentional blindness.
Someone’s religious background also influences whether or not they might believe in ghosts. Our perception is shaped by our expectations, needs and beliefs, especially when the information picked up by our senses is ambiguous, leaving our brain to fill in the gaps in what we perceive. While religious practices such as those practised during the Hungry Ghost Festival can help to keep people safe and relieve them of their anxieties about being haunted by ghosts, it can also do the opposite. Believing that certain rituals must be adhered to in order to keep ghosts at bay could make people feel on edge, and make them carry out the rituals more compulsively. Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is commonly associated with a belief in superstitions, and is a form of mental health disorder that requires treatment. Over time, people with deeply ingrained superstitious beliefs could exhibit symptoms of OCD and eventually be diagnosed with the disorder.
How our mental health is affected by our superstitious beliefs is often overlooked, and most people probably do not realise the toll superstitions can take on their overall well-being. Having more control and autonomy leads to superstitious beliefs to appease people with a sense of security. Anxiety, tension, worrying and obsessive thoughts are all signs of concern and could be attributed to or lead to more repetitive ritualised behaviour that could grow out of control if left unchecked and untreated.
Encounters with ghosts and spirits can also be explained by the brain’s reaction to traumatic events including the loss of loved ones. The brain could be coping with the trauma and loss by perceiving ghosts and the presence of someone we lost.
Superstitions mainly arise from cultural traditions or individual experiences. People who grow up in cultural and religious households are more likely to believe in superstitions and partake in ritualistic practices. For the most part, superstitions are relatively harmless. However, when they interfere with one’s day-to-day functioning and result in one intentionally taking drastic measures to alter their behaviour, it could indicate an underlying mental health condition.
Superstitions are unhealthy and problematic in cases where they greatly impair one’s state of mental health which affects their overall day-to-day functioning. Prolonged distress that goes untreated can be extremely damaging, and superstitions propagate this distress through compulsive and repetitive practices to keep the bad and “evil” away. This, however, should not be taken to mean that all superstitions are bad for our mental health, as most superstitions that have long existed in tradition and culture are healthy, harmless and do not affect our day-to-day lives.
I interviewed Ms Gan, 24, about her experiences with superstitions and the practices she has implemented in her life as a result. She shared with me that she is someone who is quite superstitious in many different aspects of her life, and subscribes to the auspicious and superstitious practices surrounding the Hungry Ghost Festival.
She expressed feeling anxiety during the Hungry Ghost Festival period, as she fears being on the receiving end of a haunting if she comes across an angry ghost. She makes sure to participate in all the ritualistic activities to safeguard both her physical and mental well-being.
She did say that taking part in the rituals for the Hungry Ghost Festival does give her a peace of mind, too, since she is aware of the ghosts and can take precautions to keep them at bay. She makes sure to be respectful not only of those who have passed but also of the offerings made by others that eventually litter the environment, by not stepping on them and walking around them. This ensures she will not be disturbing the ghosts who have joined the living to feast on the offerings. It was very insightful getting to hear both sides of the story from Ms Gan’s own experiences with superstitions.
This brings me to the other side of the coin: how superstitions can also help to relieve anxieties, and allow people to have a greater feeling of control over the outcome of their actions (even if it is a false sense of control). People often wear a lucky piece of clothing or jewellery at important events, to bring good luck; when the good luck comes true, we believe that it was because of the lucky item, reinforcing the confirmation bias we have that the item worked. This encourages us to be consistent with this behaviour to invite more good luck.
There is a very simple explanation for this behaviour, that is our mindset reinforces our beliefs and superstitions, in this case making one believe that there was good luck because of a lucky item. This can lead us to see the world more positively, and perhaps make us more open to seeing and taking advantage of opportunities that come our way, or make us respond more positively to people, in turn making them see us more favourably.
Superstitions like these help to encourage people to do better and feel more in control, and explain why superstitions are more likely to arise in situations that elicit insecurity, danger, fear and anxiety. Though there is a possible inverse effect: for example, if someone were to misplace the item they believe to be lucky, they could feel stress or anxiety, which will infringe on their mental health and cause their mental well-being to deteriorate.
Superstitions can affect our mental health both negatively and positively. For the most part, superstitions can be relatively harmless, and something people follow ‘just in case’, as a precaution to ensure the best outcomes for themselves and their loved ones. In that case, superstitions are used as motivation to keep up positive behaviour to ensure a better state of mind.
It is only when superstitions become compulsive and overly repetitive that they become a real cause for concern, and signal the need for one to see a mental health professional for help.
Some of us may be contemplating whether we need to unlearn our superstitious beliefs and deprogram their effects on our mental health. Ultimately, even with all this information in your pocket, it is still up to you to decide for yourself how superstitious you want to be. Just bear in mind that the thoughts you feed your mind ultimately shape your mindset, which can set the tone and direction of your life.
