Why are people so gullible and superstitious?
The world is a big and complicated place. Things happen to us apparently at random. Superstitions offer simple explanations, and simple solutions, to complex problems. We favor such simple solutions because they let us get a handle on the world, and we seem to have circuits in hour brain to seek them out. One such shortcut is to believe what people tell us, even when it conflicts with our rational thought processes, especially when it offers us a large reward. The reward is so tempting, and the punishment so much to be avoided, that a little piece of our brain latches onto it, and that part of the brain is not easily turned off by rational explanations. That goes double for people we trust. Or at least, people we think we should trust, which includes people who are friendly towards us. But such shortcuts can be taken advantage of, and the chain letter is a great example. It doesn’t take much to know that a chain letter is just made up by somebody, and bears no magical power whatsoever.
