Tra i Leoni: Revealing the preferences behind a superstition

We examine a superstition for which adherence is nearly universal among its target population. Using a combination of field interventions that involve unsuspecting participants and a lab-style value elicitation, we investigate the nature and strength of peoples’ underlying preferences. While a subst...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of economic psychology 2021-01, Vol.82, p.102324, Article 102324
Main Authors: Invernizzi, Giovanna M., Miller, Joshua B., Coen, Tommaso, Dufwenberg, Martin, Oliveira, Luiz Edgard R.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
beliefs
Business & Economics
Conformity
Economics and Business
Ekonomi och näringsliv
Field experiment
Lab-in-the-field
Psychology
Psykologi
Superstition
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:We examine a superstition for which adherence is nearly universal among its target population. Using a combination of field interventions that involve unsuspecting participants and a lab-style value elicitation, we investigate the nature and strength of peoples’ underlying preferences. While a substantial minority of people are willing to incur a relatively high individual cost in order to adhere to the superstition, for many, adherence is contingent on the behavior of others. Our findings are consistent with the idea that it is the conforming nature of the majority that sustains the false beliefs of the minority.
ISSN:0167-4870
DOI:10.1016/j.joep.2020.102324