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| Supersticious behavior | |
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| Topic Started: 4 Jun 2011, 07:54 PM (614 Views) | |
| Deleted User | 4 Jun 2011, 07:54 PM Post #1 |
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Not sure if this fits in here but who cares. I was fixing my bike today and took out a wheel and then when I put it back in, I put it back flipped and then caught it and flipped it back like it was originally. As some of you may know, a wheel is symmetrical. Flipping it one way or the other doesn't make a difference. But there I was just thinking "Well I don't care if it doesn't matter, I'll flip it back anyway just in case". This is superstitious behavior. I did extra work to avoid a potential problem with no evidence whatsoever that there was ...a potential problem. I could have simply put the wheel flipped and seen if it changed anything, thus saving work and learning something, but I didn't. Then I realized that if someone else had told me to flip the wheel back, I would have told them to shut up because it doesn't matter either way. Sure makes you think. |
 
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| Deleted User | 4 Jun 2011, 08:18 PM Post #2 |
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It's not just humans that do this sort of thing. It's been shown to exist in pigeons, as well (at least through experimentation, I'm betting most "higher" animals exhibit some form of it). Our brains make connections that might have no logical reasoning behind it based on our "higher" thought, our consciousness, but it's a much more basic brain function than reasoning. The most common occurring is probably not stepping on the lines between tiles (including on concrete sidewalks, linoleum, and others) or making the steps between tiles equal-numbers. |
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| Wrongaudience | 4 Jun 2011, 11:11 PM Post #3 |
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I don't step. I fucking levitate. I avoid rooms that give me a bad vibe, and have walked outside of a hotel, walked to the opposite side, and entered from there to avoid a room once. In truth, I don't mind my superstitions, though, because they often make my life more interesting, and give my brain something to do in hibernation mode. |
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"Yeah. If there is a latent cannibal in you, watching my butt get roasted would definitely be what brought it to the surface." -TJ What has two thumbs and is a Hufflepuff? I'm a Hufflepuff! | |
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| CosmicDeath | 5 Jun 2011, 12:30 AM Post #4 |
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For years I had a compulsion to count footsteps. I felt like I had to make my walking as equal as possible.. maybe take three long steps with my left leg to make up for stepping on a crack with my right foot if I knew there were no cracks ahead to let my left foot fall on. It was like I felt things were out of balance and I was always trying to order them so I'd feel at ease. It was distressing and to anyone who noticed, it might have seemed pretty dumb. And indeed it was. I've been told this is both superstitious in nature, and also an obsessive compulsive behaviour. I think there may be a correlation between OCD and superstition. Any thoughts? Any thoughts NOT about me being nuts?** Edited by CosmicDeath, 5 Jun 2011, 12:31 AM.
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| Deleted User | 5 Jun 2011, 12:37 AM Post #5 |
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There's a definite link (or, rather, similarity) between symptoms of obsessive-compulsive and these superstitious thoughts. There is no rational connection between the actions taken and anything of use coming from them, but they make people feel better. Obsessive-compulsive, however, is a bit farther, where these actions are usually quite specific, must be heavily repeated, and are more detrimental to what people would consider "normal" functionality, specifically for how time-consuming some of them can be. :/ But yes, definite similarity. |
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| Liam | 5 Jun 2011, 03:20 AM Post #6 |
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I never associated OCD behavior with superstition but now that I'm reading this it does sound reasonable. I used to have this thing as a kid and even as a teen where if I touched something with my right hand, then I needed to touch it with my left hand, then touch it again with my left hand, and one last time with the right hand... unless I touched it with both hand at the same time. I didn't do it all the time but only with certain things like if I had some sort of obsession with symmetry. Anyone had something similar? Edited by Liam, 5 Jun 2011, 03:21 AM.
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| CosmicDeath | 5 Jun 2011, 04:55 AM Post #7 |
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Oh man, yes I know what you mean. And sometimes still do this. Especially with things that are cold. Like cans of pop or a glass of water. sometimes cutlery. It's bizarre and not constant. But if I touch my thumb with one of those sorts of things, I feel I have to touch my thumb on the other hand too. And if it still feels uneven, do it again. |
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| Caitlin | 5 Jun 2011, 06:43 AM Post #8 |
Butter Wench
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I have a couple examples of this. Making sandwiches with equal numbers of hot, cold, and room temperature ingredients Walking through certain doors backwards Wearing certain colors on specific days of the week Walking only on whatever the main color of a tiled floor is (if there are equal amounts of multiple colors I go with the lightest one) if I accidentally touch a "bad tile" I have to stop and touch a "good tile" 5 times I consider 5 to be my "safe number" I used to have a specific decontamination regiment, but my therapist is a cunt and decided that I shouldn't do that anymore. |
I possess a Facebook account  Tumblr is for chumps 
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| Northern Vox Media | 5 Jun 2011, 08:55 AM Post #9 |
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Blowing smoke rings: despite taking in the same amount of smoke, as well exhaling the same amount, I feel compelled that for MAXIMUM ENJOYMENT I have to blow smoke rings. It does shit all but I feel like I'm missing out if I don't bother. Blowing on scratched video games Clicking my fingers at my PC screen to make it go faster (totally works) And refusing to watch television because commercials make me feel uneasy, which they do. As soon as commercials come on I start to feel uneasy and slightly on edge/anxious. Doesn't bother me on any other medium but on TV commercials really send me loopy. |
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| Deleted User | 5 Jun 2011, 11:30 AM Post #10 |
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Wow you people are much crazier than I am. Whoops, Sunday, I have to type everything twice. Wow you people are much crazier than I am. Whoops, Sunday, I have to type everything twice. |
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| Wrongaudience | 5 Jun 2011, 01:35 PM Post #11 |
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I remember walking in threes. Doing everything in threes. I couldn't just have three oreos though, because it was one group of three, so I had to have nine. I tried to get people to change card games I was playing so we had nine cards. Everything had to be in threes. When we drove by a cemetery or over a bridge, I had to hold my breathe, and if I wasn't holding it for a somemultipleofthree seconds, I had to keep holding it. Then I was put on Abilify, Vyvanse, Topamax, and Trazodone. Now that I'm off of all of them, most of my quirks seem to have abated, but I still think in threes a lot. I also butterfly the Alt keys when my computer freezes (rarely now, but still). Edited by Wrongaudience, 5 Jun 2011, 01:37 PM.
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"Yeah. If there is a latent cannibal in you, watching my butt get roasted would definitely be what brought it to the surface." -TJ What has two thumbs and is a Hufflepuff? I'm a Hufflepuff! | |
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| Kaneharo | 5 Jun 2011, 07:08 PM Post #12 |
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I tend to have a weird thing involving colored candies, especially if they're in a box. I tend to eat every flavor, save for my favorite one out of them and save them for last. If my favorite flavor comes out of the container, I put it back in, no matter what. My mom also once told me about a weird thing I did when I was younger (like around 1 or 2), where I would refuse to eat my food unless the plate touched the floor first. She had to surround the floor around my high chair with plastic wrap. >_>;;;; |
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| Nashtak | 8 Jun 2011, 03:43 PM Post #13 |
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As a kid, i had this symmetry thing going on. If i scratched my left cheek, i would have to scratch the right one as well. I also had to know what time it was, when it crossed my mind. Especially when i was trying to sleep. If i didn't, i was affraid i would be wondering what time it was at that exact moment forever. It's hard to fall asleep when you keep on looking at the damn clock every 2 minutes. Wait, did someone say susperstisions? |
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| alienfetus | 8 Jun 2011, 06:00 PM Post #14 |
resident hellbilly
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superstitious behavior seems to be hardwired into the human mind. I guess it is because we are all authority driven. In other words, we always have a boss be it a king, a preacher, or a cop. There's always someone higher up in power than ourselves. God is the entity sitting at the end of the cosmic chain of command. At least, in the mind of the religious person. Even in the atheist mind, we do shit like you described only perhaps not in such an extreme sort of way. We're also creatures of habit. What you did seems to fall more into that category. The wheel goes a certain way in your subconscious mind. All other ways may fail, but you know, at least subconsciously, that the way you installed the wheel so many times before is correct. Know what I mean, Vern?
Edited by alienfetus, 8 Jun 2011, 06:02 PM.
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| The Dark Side of Nowhere | |
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| Owen | 8 Jun 2011, 06:09 PM Post #15 |
"Humans are like frog bird-monkeys that question things too much"
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I can't use silverware with handles that have handles, the kind that can build up crud in the little indentation between extended handle and metal of fork/spoon. I have to check in cups, bowls, anything I eat out of for dots, and if it has a dot than I can't use it. I have a lot of just germaphobic things like that |
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| alienfetus | 8 Jun 2011, 06:47 PM Post #16 |
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resident hellbilly
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That's not really superstition. That's more O.C.D. behavior than anything. You germophobe. |
| The Dark Side of Nowhere | |
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| Northern Vox Media | 8 Jun 2011, 07:26 PM Post #17 |
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I had the symmetry thing too, coupled with an innate fear that my nails would fall off (nothing wrong with them, just a very paranoid child). I would use my thumb to tap in place any nail I thought was gonna fall out, then tape in the other so everything was balanced. |
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Places where you can find me!
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| Wixx | 10 Jun 2011, 01:36 AM Post #18 |
♥Brains♥
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The most superstitious thing I do is follow 'my gut'. If someone is telling me something that I can't substantiate I go with 'my gut'. It's an odd feeling, like the back of my eyes are watering, my lower abdomen is being pulled toward my sholder blades and my shoulders ache. I don't know what causes this but whenever I have this feeling I follow it. If you tell me something and it causes this feeling I will take what you said as fact. It's dumb, I know, but that's what I do. Also, I always sniff my glass before I pour a drink. Weird. Edited by Wixx, 10 Jun 2011, 01:36 AM.
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| Just4Trophyz | 10 Jun 2012, 11:04 AM Post #19 |
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| Blargazaur | 10 Jun 2012, 01:32 PM Post #20 |
Cephalopodan of Zion
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Cut that shit out dude, seriously. |
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