In an account chock full of real-world examples reinforced by experimental research, Hood s marvelous book is an important contribution to the psychological literature that is revealing the actuality of our very irrational human nature. Science

In the vein of Malcolm Gladwell s Blink, Mary Roach s Spook, and Dan Ariely s Predictably Irrational, The Science of Superstition uses hard science to explain pervasive irrational beliefs and behaviors: from the superstitious rituals of sports stars, to the depreciated value of houses where murders were committed, to the adoration of Elvis."