Depiction of various superstitions, including; a magpie, a black cat walking under a ladder and a smashed mirror

Cognition and perception

Magical thinking - Reality or illusion?

Do we believe in magic? And if we do, then why? Eugene Subbotsky investigates.

18 June 2004

Is there any connection between the thought process of an adult refusing to walk under a ladder and a child scared by a toy lion that has 'come to life'? How can magical thinking protect us, or condemn us to a life of psychological illness? Read on as I reveal all in an area curiously neglected by psychology.

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