Magical Thinking
The belief that one's thoughts, wishes, or rituals can directly influence events in the world. From superstitions to prayer to "jinxing it" — the feeling that thinking something can make it so.
EverydayConcepts.io
Origin
The concept has roots in anthropologist James George Frazer's The Golden Bough (1890), where he described "sympathetic magic" — the belief that like produces like, and that things once connected remain linked. In psychology, Jean Piaget identified magical thinking as a normal stage of child development. It persists in adults through superstitions, rituals, and the persistent feeling that saying something out loud might cause (or prevent) it.
Updated February 22, 2026