490. What Do Broken-Hearted Knitters, Urinating Goalkeepers, and the C.I.A. Have in Common?

490.心碎的编织者、小便的守门员和中央情报局做什么有共同点吗?

Freakonomics Radio

社会与文化

2022-01-13

47 分钟
PDF

单集简介 ...

Curses and other superstitions may have no basis in reality, but that doesn’t stop us from believing.

单集文稿 ...

  • I can't think of a single superstition I believe in.

  • I don't knock on wood for good luck.

  • Black cats do not scare me.

  • I think they're beautiful.

  • And I think it's silly when tall buildings pretend they don't have a 13th floor and call it 14 instead.

  • And yet, according to the Otis elevator company, about 85% of tall buildings in the US do this.

  • Triskeidekophobia, that's a fear of the number 13.

  • In China, it's the number four that's considered unlucky.

  • Again, personally, I don't have a problem with any number.

  • I do refrain from walking under ladders, but that's just common sense.

  • I don't want a brick or a hammer to fall down, hit me on the head.

  • So the standard superstitions, they just don't move me.

  • For instance, I pay zero attention to my horoscope, although that is such a virgo thing to say.

  • What about you?

  • Are you superstitious?

  • We put this question to our listeners.

  • You better knock on wood or are.

  • You going to break a bone?

  • I went out to dinner and noticed that my tip rented out to $6.66, which is the devils number.

  • Those are typical superstitions.