Being jinxed no more: reducing beliefs in tempting fate through psychological separation

• Main Author: Sim, Deon Yi Xing
• Other Authors: Albert Lee Kai Chung
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: Nanyang Technological University 2023
• Subjects: Social sciences::Psychology
• Online Access: https://hdl.handle.net/10356/165836
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Beliefs in tempting fate (BTF) prevents individuals from engaging in unnecessary ‘risky’ behavior. This is as doing so is believed to evoke misfortune, often with a touch of irony. BTF exists even in the absence of logical connections between the action and outcome. Yet, irrationality does not explain the existence of BTF. Even educated adults are influenced by BTF. This is as the processes underlying BTF are almost universal across all humans. Namely, our negativity bias, reliance on availability heuristics, tendency to infer causality, and acquiescence. One specific type of BTF are curses, also known as jinxes. Despite the lack of a logical explanation of how curses work, its discomforting effects are often experienced vividly, driving the cursed to seek solutions for relief. A common pattern across solutions is the usage of psychological separation. The curse is firstly represented as a physical entity, then separated from the self. For example, burning a cursed doll. Through physical separation, the cognitive representation of the curse is simultaneously distanced from the self. We predict that another viable method is cleansing. By representing the curse as dirt particles, cleansing creates distance between the curse and self, providing relief and reducing the tendency to unjinx the self. Consistent with theoretical predictions, this study showed that cleansing is an effective method of achieving psychological separation. These findings highlight the role of physical behaviors in influencing psychological representations, potentially providing practical insights on how we can relieve mental distress through simple physical acts, such as cleansing rituals. Keywords: beliefs in tempting fate, curses, jinxes, psychological separation, cleansing rituals, unjinx