New research confirms what we women have known all along… There is such a thing as a good luck charm!  Researchers at the University of Cologne in Germany have found that activating a positive superstitious belief can boost people’s confidence, which in turn improves performance.

In an experiment, a dexterity task that normally took more than 5 minutes was accomplished in just 191.5 seconds, on average, if participants were wished good luck before they started it.  Before trying to roll 36 little balls into little holes in a transparent plastic cube, the participants were told by a researcher, “I press the thumbs for you,” the German equivalent of “My fingers are crossed for you.”

So go on… give it a go next week on your team and let me know if it makes a difference!

As for me… I’ll keep collecting my horseshoes around the farm and lining them up at the back door – that’s my surefire way of keeping luck in the house!

(And for those of you with suggestions on other limbs to cross or superstitious beliefs… will you share your tips?  I’m always on the look out for more good luck!)