6 Reasons You Should Definitely Believe in Real Magic

As children our instinct is to believe in things we cannot see…we believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy and for better or worse we believe in monsters under our bed. When we are young we believe in miracles and we believe in real magic…and then we grow up and we grow cynical and the magic stops seeming real. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

No matter how old and caught up in reality we may get, magic is an important part of your psychological health, and it’s something you should definitely believe in. According to psychologist Eugene Subbotsky of Lancaster University, a “belief in magic begins in the consciousness of children (who explicitly accept it) and persists in the subconscious of adults (who explicitly deny it).”

The magic is in the thought

And it’s more common in adults than you might think. A NY Times article explains “research demonstrates that habits of so-called magical thinking—the belief, for instance, that wishing harm on a loathed colleague or relative might make him sick—are far more common than people acknowledge…magical thinking underlies a vast, often unseen universe of small rituals that accompany people through every waking hour of a day.”

It may only exist in your subconscious, but magical thinking is a big part of your ability to function in a positive way on a daily basis, and a little dose of magic can provide a big dose of positivity in your life. Here are 6 reasons why you should definitely believe in real magic and why magical thinking just might be what you need to wake up feeling energized, hopeful and happy each day.

1. It Provides Peace of Mind

In a world full of unknowns, it’s comforting to feel like there is some magical factor that has power over your fate, your actions and your future. It’s terrifying if you accept the reality that terrible things happen to good people and that you have no control over what tomorrow may bring. On the flip side, believing that some mystical or supernatural element might impact your life provides a sense of order where there isn’t an obvious explanation or guarantee. As Psychology Today tells is, according to Bruce Hood, psychologist who specializes in developmental cognitive neuroscience, “in the absence of perceived control, people become susceptible to detecting patterns in an effort to regain some sense of organization.”

2. It Will Make You Feel Like a Kid

Remember how exciting it felt to lose a tooth and know that a magical fairy was going to leave you a present while you were sleeping? It was impossible to fall asleep and more fun than normal to wake up in the morning, all because of a magical being that we never saw, and still believed existed. As an adult it’s hard to achieve that same glee over something we cannot see, but if you d allow yourself to accept superstitions and believe in mystical possibilities the world becomes a much more magical place. You’ll feel like a kid again, which is a nice break from the harsh realities and pressures of adult life.

3. It Can Make You Perform Better at a Given Task

Studies have shown that if you believe you can do something—even if that belief stems from a slightly irrational magical source of power—then you will be more like to achieve your goal. In an article for Scientific American, it is explained that researchers found that “magical thinking can actually increase participants’ confidence in their own capabilities.

That is, believing in lucky charms would increase participants’ “self-efficacy,” and it is this feeling of “I can do this,” not any magical properties of the object itself, that predict success.” So while it might seem silly to keep a good luck charm or stick to a superstitious pre-game ritual, that little bit of magical thinking just might work in your favor.

4. It Can Help You Step Away from the Modern, Technological World

Our modern world is overflowing with information, which is available at the click of a button, anytime, anywhere. We know everything and yet there are still some aspects of life that we can’t explain, even with our iPhone in hand. Sometimes it can be healthy to step away from your technological device and just embrace another potential (and more magical) influence in your life and your actions.

5. It Can Help You Cope with Anxiety and Insecurity

At its core, magical thinking is just another form of faith in a higher power. For some people this faith comes from religion, for others it comes from magic and supernatural powers in the universe. But no matter what the source of your believe may be, having that faith provides an outlet for coping with anxiety, stress and fear. It gives you something to turn to when you aren’t sure how your life will turn out or you aren’t sure what will happen in your future. It may offer mystical explanations, traditions and superstitions, but magical thinking also provides confidence and comfort so that you can feel more like you are in charge of your life, and less helpless about your fate.

6. Believing in the Power of Magic is Healthy

If belief in magic is on one end of the spectrum, then the opposite end is skepticism (not believing in anything), and as Psychology Today reports, according to Peter Brugger, head of neuropsychology at University Hospital Zurich “you wouldn’t want to be at the skeptic end of the spectrum anyway. To be totally ‘unmagical’ is very unhealthy,» he says. In fact, some of his data links a “lack of magical ideation to anhedonia, the inability to experience pleasure.” Are you a believer yet?

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