How do superstitions help people?

Through out history superstitions have provided answers for unknown things. In the 1300's there was a belief that there were islands in the world's oceans that were made of magnets and when ships came near the magnets pulled the nails out of the ships so they sank. Superstitions also explained the reasons of illness or why a person was in coma and woke up. Since science was hit and miss it replaced science. In many cases superstition was the foundation for many of the fables and myths that come to us through time. Vampires, fairies, werewolves, mermaids are some of the things that come from superstitions.

Some people use superstition to give them confidence before the big game or event. They carry something that makes them feel good/better. Others use it to ward off evil. Today there are urban superstitions about many things and they are used to scare people or to give answers as they did in the past. Either way they are not real and are made up.