We evolved the mechanisms of magical thinking (beliefs, belief, evidence)

[Hueffenhardt]

Psychology Today has a great article on magical thinking that I think most skeptics would enjoy. Have a look: Magical Thinking | Psychology Today

Magical thinking springs up everywhere. Some irrational beliefs (Santa Claus?) are passed on to us. But others we find on our own. Survival requires recognizing patterns—night follows day, berries that color will make you ill. And because missing the obvious often hurts more than seeing the imaginary, our skills at inferring connections are overtuned. No one told Wade Boggs that eating chicken before every single game would help his batting average; he decided that on his own, and no one can argue with his success. We look for patterns because we hate surprises and because we love being in control.

[nezlie]

The problem comes when, regardless of all the evidence to the contrary, people still hold on to these magical beliefs. I guess it is because some sense of emotional equilibrium is brought to the mind which is soothing and overrides the logic circuits. I can understand how in some cases it provides a sense of peace and calming and in other cases is something that just satisfies and feeds the ego.