You may be surprised to learn that behind closed doors, lots of people are knocking on wood, holding their breath when driving past graveyards, or avoiding crossing paths with black cats. In one YouGov poll, only 13% of respondents claimed to be superstitious—but almost three times that many believed that finding a penny brings good luck. Superstition inveigles itself on even the most logical minds: According to research published in Nature, many scientists watch their experiments obsessively in the hope This story is from Kinfolk Issue Thirty-Eight Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 27 Dead of Night Fey and fearful: the superstitions of the witching hour. Arts & Culture Issue 48 Jordan Casteel The acclaimed painter of people—and now plants. Arts & Culture Issue 48 The Sweet Spot How long is the perfect vacation? Arts & Culture Issue 48 Cliff Tan Four questions for a feng shui guru. Arts & Culture Issue 48 Figure Skating with Mirai Nagasu The Olympic athlete has known glory, pain and transcendence on the ice. Arts & Culture Issue 48 Sweet Nothing On the virtues of hanging out.
Arts & Culture Issue 48 Figure Skating with Mirai Nagasu The Olympic athlete has known glory, pain and transcendence on the ice.
