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Cited by 138Decision-Making and Behavioral EconomicsParanormal Experiences and BeliefsPsychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment

The DOI matches its Crossref record; 63 of the 63 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.

Why people are reluctant to tempt fate.

Risen, Jane L., Gilovich, Thomas·2008·Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
DOI 10.1037/0022-3514.95.2.293
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Abstract

The present research explored the belief that it is bad luck to "tempt fate." Studies 1 and 2 demonstrated that people do indeed have the intuition that actions that tempt fate increase the likelihood of negative outcomes. Studies 3-6 examined our claim that the intuition is due, in large part, to the combination of the automatic tendencies to attend to negative prospects and to use accessibility as a cue when judging likelihood. Study 3 demonstrated that negative outcomes are more accessible following actions that tempt fate than following actions that do not tempt fate. Studies 4 and 5 demonstrated that the heightened accessibility of negative outcomes mediates the elevated perceptions of likelihood. Finally, Study 6 examined the automatic nature of the underlying processes. The types of actions that are thought to tempt fate as well as the role of society and culture in shaping this magical belief are discussed.

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Metadata

Authors
Risen, J. L., & Gilovich, T.
Affiliations
  • University of Chicago (US)
  • Cornell University (US)
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Publisher
American Psychological Association (APA)
Published
2008-08
Volume
95
Issue
2
Pages
293-307
ISSN
  • 0022-3514 (ISSN-L)
  • 1939-1315
DOI
10.1037/0022-3514.95.2.293
OpenAlex
W2158547509
Cited by
138
References
61
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 13 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 9 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 8 · 2012: 8
FWCI
3.65
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Science Foundation (SES0542486; SES0241638)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Decision Sciences › General Decision Sciences › Decision-Making and Behavioral Economics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Paranormal Experiences and Beliefs
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment
Keywords
magical beliefs, intuition, adverse outcomes, probability judgment, automatic cognition, belief in luck
MeSH terms
Culture, Female, Humans, Judgment, Male, Motivation, Negativism, Probability, Social Environment, Intuition

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