"The activation of a superstition can indeed yield performance-improving effects." That's the conclusion of an upcoming article in Psychological Science, which observes that lucky objects can reinforce a person's sense of control and thereby actually increase the likelihood of achieving a desired outcome.
However, the same article notes that lucky charms tend not to be propitious in situations over which a person has little to no control--such as, say, an eBay auction for a lucky pendant:
The "Figa" is Brazil's omnipresent good luck symbol. The raised fist with thumb between first and second fingers is multi-functional - symbolizing fertility, passion, luck. Made from everything from broken stones to silver and semi-precious stones, it keeps evil spirits away.
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