Have always tended to believe things that make them feel good, even when untrue. The belief that good luck would eventually return was surely comforting, and people They believed that the body renewed itself every seven years. But the Romans did not believe that the ensuing bad luck would To damage a mirror was considered so disrespectful that people thought it compelled the gods to rain bad luck on anyone so careless.Īround the third century mirrors were being made from glass, and breakage became a But it was Roman artisans who actually learned to manufacture mirrorsįrom polished metal surfaces, and believed their gods observed souls through theseĭevices. The Greeks believed that one’s reflection on the surface of a pool of water revealed I argue that the superstition aboutīroken mirrors may be rooted in these ancient beliefs. Without necessarily having any basis in reality. These times and places that the broken mirror superstition began its rise in popularity.Īs a social psychologist who studies various ways that people influence one another, I am fascinated when groups generate beliefs that are pure “social constructions” It so happened that inīoth ancient Greece and the Roman Empire, reflected images were thought to have mysterious powers. Years old: Breaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck. Included in this second category is a superstition that is between 2,000 and 2,700 Others can be traced to specific times in history.
The origins of many superstitions are unknown. Also, many tall buildings don’t label their 13th floors as such because of that number’s association with bad luck. In the U.S., some people panic if they accidentally walk under a ladder or see a black cat cross In some Asian societies people believe that sweeping a floor after sunset bringsīad luck, and that it’s a curse to leave chopsticks standing in a bowl of rice. In this second category is a superstition that is between 2,000 and 2,700 years old:īreaking a mirror brings seven years of bad luck.Įvery human culture has superstitions. In history, sociology professor Barry Markovsky writes in The Conversation. Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.Library Annex and Conservation Facility.College of Information and Communications.College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management.Health Promotion, Education and Behavior.Global Supply Chain and Operations Management.Environmental Science / Environmental Studies.Educational Administration and Higher Education.Computer Science / Computer Engineering.
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