Why do people believe in superstitions?

Some people are born superstitious as they inherit this belief from their parents or culture. If a child's parents are superstitious, then it becomes highly possible, the child will also believe in superstitions. It also depends on the place you are born and raised in. For instance, if you are born in China, you may find breaking a mirror brings bad luck. However, in India, many people believe, if a mirror is broken by accident, it signifies good luck.

Some people have unbearable fears that they want to release somehow but are unable to. In order to release those fears, they try to convert them into objects to feel light. That's why they start believing in superstitions. For instance, a person may start believing in ghosts if he fears the future, which will allow him to release some of his stored fears.

Some people believe in superstitious just because they give them more feelings of control and feel more secure after having faith in them. These type of people attribute the bad events that may include the crossing of a cat before you pass by, or passing below a ladder, and make themselves believe that believing in all such superstitions, will make their life under control.

Some people believe in superstitions as they do not want to stress their minds by overthinking. For instance, if a person considers their lucky number as 13, they will be able to make choices easily without experiencing much stress. (See The Body Language of Anxiety)

Some people mislead themselves by believing in superstitions. They give themselves a false sense of confidence, which may make them feel that everything is going right, but in reality, it may not be true.

In certain situations, when people are not able to find any concrete reason behind happening a particular event, they may try to attribute it to any superstitious belief. For instance, if someone in a person's family member passes suddenly on a specific date, who was very close to them, they may blame the date on which the event took place.

People who believe much in the locus of control might believe in superstitions than those who have an internal locus of control. Basically, locus of control is the situation in which people feel whatever is happening or affecting their lives; they have full control over every situation and experience.

Some people are deep-rooted with religious and moral values that were taught to them since their childhood. For instance, most Christians consider 13 number as unlucky, because it depicts Judas Iscariot, who was the 13^th person to join Jesus's table in the last supper. While Muslims believe their lucky number to be 786 as it depicts the total numerological value of the Quranic expression “Bismillah-al-Rahman-al-Rahim”.

The placebo effect is something that can make a person believe that the human brain is able to fulfill a specific prophecy that is based on a particular belief. Basically, a placebo is an inactive substance (similar looking to real drug tablets) that can heal a person through his own expectations. The same way, if a person is superstitious, it can make superstitious beliefs more real.

A superstitious person may always believe that it will be quite easy for them to reinforce themselves. Even if a person is coming across a bad situation often during a period, they may deny the fact of the cause of the event. For instance, people believe that if a black cat passes their way before them, it will bring bad luck, and something terrible will happen. They will blame the cat that came across their way, even if that bad event occurred before they saw that black cat passing their way by.

Some people lack courage and are afraid of taking responsibility in their lives. In order to escape the responsibility, instead of handling that thing, they find it easy to ascribe it to the superstitions. (See Why is breaking a Mirror considered bad luck)