Superstition predicts favorable weight change in an open-placebo trial: a prospective study

Rekhviashvili, Nino; Gupta, Sumati

doi:10.1007/s40519-014-0167-7

Cited by 3 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…It is imperative to appreciate the personality characteristics that interact with several situational factors at any given time to determine the use and possibly even the efficacy of superstitious behavior in sports. Whether superstitions lead to a desired result via a placebo effect is not clear, but recent research evidence revealed that superstition and the placebo effect are strongly correlated and share almost 25% of the common variance (Rekhviashvili & Gupta, ). There are few differences in superstitious behaviors between athletes and non‐athletes, which could be observed in the quality and spectrum rather than the quantity of superstitions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The placebo mechanism in performance situations may trigger greater persistence on a given task that in turn may enhance self‐efficacy, which can lead to better performance, as revealed in a series of experimental studies (Damisch et al ., ). Recent research shows that the placebo effect and acts of superstition share 25% of common variance (Rekhviashvili & Gupta, ).…”

Section: Reasons Behind Superstitious Behavior In Sportmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Superstitious behavior in sport: A literature review

Dömötör

Ruíz-Barquín

Szabó

2016

Scandinavian J Psychology

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The objective of this first literature review, in this area, is to unveil the current status of knowledge on superstition in sport. Its outcome reveals that superstitious behaviors vary with the type of sport, athletic level, as well as athletic role. In agreement with past theories, they increase with the level of challenge, as reflected by the importance of the competition, as well as with the level of uncertainty. Cultural factors, in conjunction with the education level, as well as gender, have a strong influence on superstitious behaviors in sports. Based on current thoughts, religiosity and superstition are different psychological constructs used as psychological aids by several athletes. Personality factors appear to mediate the manifestation of the behavior. Elite athletes are clearly more superstitious than non-elite athletes, An interaction between athletic skill and task-difficulty emerges to be another strong predictor of superstition in sport. It is evident that a set of complex personal and situational factors interact in the manifestation of superstitious behavior in sport that is used for the regulation of emotions in a quest for optimal performance. It is concluded that the objective benefits (i.e., success) of superstition in sport may be ascribed to the placebo effect that yields an increased sense of control and mental reassurance in unpredictable contest situations.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Reasons Behind Superstitious Behavior In Sportmentioning

confidence: 99%

Superstitious behavior in sport: A literature review

Dömötör

Ruíz-Barquín

Szabó

2016

Scandinavian J Psychology

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“…The mechanism behind the independent effect of superstition and the placebo effect on performance regulation is similar; the human belief system or expectancy mediates the effect. Moreover, superstition is associated with plasticity of cognition (Rekhviashvili and Gupta 2015). The present study aimed to explore the role superstition plays in the placebo effect on memory performance.…”

Section: The Placebo Effect and Its Relationship With Superstitionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…The resulting improvement in performance could be due to the involved placebo effect. Another study showed that superstition through the use of placebos can have an impact on favourable weight change (Rekhviashvili and Gupta 2015). The study found that people who are more superstitious are more responsive to a placebo because they believe in the positive impact of the placebo on the desired weight change.…”

Section: The Placebo Effect and Its Relationship With Superstitionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Thus, it can be noted that superstition influences an individual's everyday life by impacting various aspects such as the decision-making process, the ability to handle stress and performance in cognitive and physical tasks. Superstition is also associated with cognitive malleability (Rekhviashvili and Gupta 2015). Further, research shows that superstition can improve memory performance (Damisch et al 2010).…”

Section: Superstition In Everyday Lifementioning

confidence: 99%

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The role of superstition in the placebo effect on memory performance

Malani

Setia

2021

Cogn Process

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Superstitions and the placebo effect have each been found to influence human behaviour. The present study aimed to determine whether there is a relationship between superstition and the placebo effect, and whether this relationship affects human cognition and behaviour. We hypothesized that more superstitious people would be more prone to the placebo effect and that it would improve their performance on cognitive tasks. Results showed that in the placebo condition, more superstitious people memorized more words than less superstitious people. However, in the control condition, less superstitious people memorized more words than more superstitious people. Overall, the findings supported our hypothesis. The findings of the study are important, as they draw a link between the placebo effect and superstition, and further show that these two elements impact human performance in cognitive ability tasks.

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Caracterización psicosocial de deportistas y reconocimiento de la importancia del psicólogo deportivo

Gómez-Acosta¹,

Sierra‐Barón²,

Hernández³

et al. 2020

Pensam. psicol.

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Objetivo. Desarrollar la caracterización psicosocial de un grupo de deportistas del departamento del Huila (Colombia), e identificar su percepción acerca de la labor del psicólogo deportivo. Método. Investigación descriptiva, transversal, en la que participaron 817 deportistas (72.3% hombres, edad promedio 17.26 años [DE = 4.28]). La información fue obtenida mediante un instrumento ad hoc de autorreporte, validado por expertos, guardando las consideraciones éticas del caso. Resultados. Se evidenciaron asociaciones significativas (p < 0.05) entre los factores psicológicos emocionales (principalmente ansiedad y estrés) y cognitivos (atención, concentración, cohesión, motivación, autoconfianza y cohesión), con las variables sexo, sometimiento a cirugías, trabajo actual, asociación a club deportivo, participación en competencias y acompañamiento con psicólogo deportivo. Muchos de los encuestados no tenían acceso a los profesionales en psicología deportiva, pero resaltaron su importancia para el mejoramiento del rendimiento deportivo. Conclusión. El estudio permitió tener una panorámica general de las condiciones sociodemográficas de los deportistas y de sus necesidades psicosociales. No obstante, se deben llevar a cabo ejercicios más rigurosos que permitan no solo establecer relaciones estadísticas entre las variables reportadas, sino también realizar intervenciones efectivas.

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Superstition predicts favorable weight change in an open-placebo trial: a prospective study

Cited by 3 publications

References 30 publications

Superstitious behavior in sport: A literature review

Superstitious behavior in sport: A literature review

The role of superstition in the placebo effect on memory performance

Caracterización psicosocial de deportistas y reconocimiento de la importancia del psicólogo deportivo

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