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Last week I watched a man tap the hood of his car three times before starting it.
Not in a broken-car way. In a “don’t-anger-the-car-gods” way.

It reminded me that we all have these tiny personal superstitions.

Wearing “lucky” socks. Knocking on wood. Saying “just one more sip” before a meeting.

We call them dumb, yet we keep doing them.

Because somewhere between logic and lunacy our rituals are running the software of sanity.

They make chaos feel choreographed. They tell your brain, you’re safe now.

And the irony is that the more irrational the ritual, the better it works, apparently.

Let’s get irrational...

Tennis legend Rafael Nadal aligns his water bottles label-forward before every match.

Apparently, water is not just for hydration, it’s for creating harmony. Sports psychologists say it reduces pre-match anxiety by faking predictability. Basically, emotional bubble wrap.

In Japan, slurping ramen loudly is both polite and ritual. It aerates the broth (sure), but mostly it declares communal joy. Being ridiculous together as a ritual that also tastes yummy?! Count me in.

Many labs have subtle rituals around their machines. Some “sweet-talk” their flow cytometers, follow exact shutdown sequences, or have “blessing days” for new equipment. It’s a reminder that even the coldest machines carry stories and quirks.

Turns out your little pre-meeting superstition might be doing real neuroscience.

Harvard researchers found that performing small, symbolic rituals (even meaningless ones) can lower anxiety and improve focus. In lab tests, people who went through a ritual before a stressful task performed better and stayed calmer than those who didn’t. Another study showed that rituals even quiet the brain’s error signals, reducing that “oh, no I blew it” feeling when things go wrong.

And while we’re on the subject of placebo sorcery, art-making (basically ritualized doodling) has been shown to reduce cortisol levels, our body’s stress hormone.

Dumb Word of the Day: Apotropaic (adj.) — having the power to ward off bad luck.

Use it in a sentence: “My morning coffee is less ‘energy drink’ and more apotropaic spell against my inbox.”

Invent a new ritual today — something intentionally stupid but sacred.

Maybe salute your coffee mug before drinking. Whisper “don’t mess this up” to your laptop.

See how it changes the mood.

You’re not crazy. You’re hacking the placebo.