Superstitions evolved 145;to help us survive146;: Study

Charles Darwin8217;s famous natural selection theory has provided a possible answer to human superstitions.

Charles Darwin never warned against crossing black cats, but his famous natural selection theory has provided a possible answer to human superstitions over a century after his death.

An international team has carried out a study and found that people have evolved over thousands of years to be susceptible to supernatural beliefs because it pays to take a 8220;better safe than sorry8221; approach to life, a finding somewhat linked to the natural selection theory.

In fact, according to researchers, it is history that has taught people that it8217;s actually better to interpret a rustle in the undergrowth as a threat just in case it is a bear, a member of a rival tribe or another real danger.

According to lead researcher Dr Kevin Foster, 8220;In an uncertain world, natural selection can readily favour making all kinds of associations, including many incorrect ones, in order to make sure the really important associations are made.

8220;Perhaps the easiest example to understand is the use of medicine that are not proven scientifically to actually work. This occurs both in small-scale societies and in our own societies in the form of alternative medicine. It8217;s clear that many medicines in these contexts don8217;t work, but some do.

8220;Therefore, it may be evolutionarily advantageous to adopt the general strategy 8216;believe that alternative medicines work8217; because in doing so, one will benefit from the few that are effective and suffer little cost from using those that do not work.8221;

According to the researchers, humans are not alone and that many other creatures are superstitious too.

Story continues below this ad

8220;Any decision-making organism faces same challenges of identifying causal relations, that is, will event A mean that event B is coming soon?8221; 8216;The Daily Telegraph8217; quoted Foster of Harvard University as saying.

However, Dr Foster emphasised that the evolution of superstition is more than the natural selection of genes that linked with touching wood, crossing fingers and various other superstitious traits.

8220;We are heavily affected by culture and learning as well, and so the specifics of any one example of superstition in humans will be affected by these factors as well,8221; said Dr Foster.

The study has been published in the 8216;Proceedings of the Royal Society, Biological Sciences8217; journal.