Phys Ed: Does Lucky Underwear Improve Athletic Performance?
28.07.10
Next the researchers had another group of students to a test of dexterity. Students received a plastic cube containing 36 balls and a shelf with the dimples 36 holes. They were told to dive and turn the box until the ball resting in the holes. Firstly, if they have received instruction from a moderator, who said some of the volunteers, I press the thumbs up for you ", a German idiom which means, roughly," I keep my fingers crossed for you; good luck. "The rest received neutral instructions.By a considerable margin, the volunteers who had been offered the chance to maneuver the ball the fastest position.
Finally, the researchers tested whether people made mental tests (memory and vocabulary) more competently when they had a good luck with them. In fact, they did. They also reported feeling more confident about their ability to perform tasks where their charm chosen was recovered next to them when he was in the adjoining room (supposedly to be photographed).Perhaps more significantly, they tended to work harder and persist longer on tasks than the group without charm - apparently believing that since luck was with them, they should not leave too soon.
Source: New York Times (blog)