Can Good Luck Charms and Superstitious Rituals Enhance Performance?

The legendary Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti famously had a quirky backstage ritual that he needed to complete before he could go on stage.Apparently, he would wander around backstage, scanning the floor until he found a bent nail, which would serve as his good luck charm for that performance.It sounds like a silly sort of thing to do, and it’s hard to imagine Pavarotti needing much in the way of luck, but could this have been more helpful than we think?A 2010 study provides some answers and...