Weirdest Superstitions episode artwork

EPISODE · Oct 24, 2025 · 38 MIN

Weirdest Superstitions

from The DORK Side

Ever notice how your first superstition came from something an adult casually said — and your brain just signed the contract in crayon? That’s how most of these things start. Our minds are pattern machines wired for survival, not accuracy. Early on, a coincidence gets mistaken for cause: You step on a crack, your mom twists her ankle, and boom—your brain adds ‘avoid cracks’ to its emergency survival handbook. The fancy term is associative learning. It’s the same way pigeons learn to peck a button for food… only we add mythological backstory and matching socks for good luck. Asia’s ancient superstitions are textbook cases — whole cultures ritualizing those first random coincidences until they calcified into cosmic rules.”\Join the rest of us DORKS to explore why you give credence to superstitions.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ever notice how your first superstition came from something an adult casually said — and your brain just signed the contract in crayon? That’s how most of these things start. Our minds are pattern machines wired for survival, not accuracy. Early on, a coincidence gets mistaken for cause: You step on a crack, your mom twists her ankle, and boom—your brain adds ‘avoid cracks’ to its emergency survival handbook. The fancy term is associative learning. It’s the same way pigeons learn to peck a button for food… only we add mythological backstory and matching socks for good luck. Asia’s ancient superstitions are textbook cases — whole cultures ritualizing those first random coincidences until they calcified into cosmic rules.”\Join the rest of us DORKS to explore why you give credence to superstitions. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

NOW PLAYING

Weirdest Superstitions

0:00 38:04

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The DORK Side?

This episode is 38 minutes long.

When was this The DORK Side episode published?

This episode was published on October 24, 2025.

What is this episode about?

Ever notice how your first superstition came from something an adult casually said — and your brain just signed the contract in crayon? That’s how most of these things start. Our minds are pattern machines wired for survival, not accuracy. Early on,...

Can I download this The DORK Side episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!