Hannah Hay
Psychology 100
1/28/14
Being Jinxed and the Illusory Correlation
Have you ever done something or said something that you thought ‘jinxed’ an outcome of an event? Most people probably have experienced the common phenomenon of being ‘jinxed’ which is described as “a condition or period of bad luck that appears to have been caused by a specific person or thing” (thefreedictionary 1). Though it may appear for a sudden turn of events to have been caused by a specific person or thing, bad luck cannot be a factor that leads to the final outcome. Which is why being jinxed is just the same as an illusory correlation, a concept in psychology has been defined as the perception of a relationship where none exist.
An example of an illusory correlation within the context of being ‘jinxed’ occurred during a Pirates baseball game at PNC park when I was with my father and sister. It was a drizzly summer day at the baseball park, and unlike every game we have been to, the Pittsburgh Pirates were ahead with a lead of 7 runs. The stadium was cheering, and everything seemed to be in the favor of the home team. With every run, we would stand up and cheer, feeling as if the Pirates had become invincible and a home run powerhouse. That’s when my father spoke too soon, and told us that we were finally going to see a winning game. My sister and I looked at my father and scrambled to shut him up, however it was too late. He had jinxed the baseball game. As soon as that very inning was over, the Pirates progress took a turn for the worse. The opposing team managed to make a comeback, scoring more and more runs while the Pirates did not score another run for the remainder of the game. By the end, the total score was 11 to 7 runs, the opposing team leaving us in the dust by 6 runs.
Though we thought what my father said jinxed the outcome of the game, in the end no matter what someone could had said would have changed the final score of the game. This jinx clearly showcases the concept of an illusory correlation because the superstition of a jinx does not have any connection to the outcome of events such as the score of the baseball game. In a populated stadium, the jinx my father said could not have been able to change the performance of professional athletes. Therefore, even if there seems to be a meaningful relation between the two events, there is none.
Works Cited
“Jinxed.” The Free Dictionary. Farlex, n.d. Web. 28 Jan. 2014.
<http://www.thefreedictionary.com/jinxed>.
This is a pretty funny story. If you read my post, it’s pretty similar in the sense that I wrote about superstitions in baseball. I guess we both understand that baseball is a unique instance, and illusory correlation occurs in baseball in so many ways. I think it’s one of the best examples there is. So far as jinxing the game, I honestly would have to think your dad did in fact jinx it. Sad it is to say, you can’t tear down the goalpost before the game is over. Beyond our two examples, there is the classic “don’t mention a no hitter past a fifth inning.” So many times you’ll see or hear someone say “oh look, nobody’s gotten a hit yet.” At that point its best to just face palm because you will no longer be seeing a no hitter. It’s so silly to think that applying basic human logic to any of these situations, there is no way one person saying something or wearing something can change the outcome of a game. But hey, that;s just how us baseball folk work I guess.