# Skittles and Other Superstitions that Oddly Work | Connor Kao | TEDxMountainViewHighSchool

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FlrFp5D2W7s
Recap page: https://rapidrecap.app/video/FlrFp5D2W7s
Generated: 2026-02-19T17:38:08.844+00:00

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## Quick Overview

Superstitions, such as eating Skittles before a test or wearing a specific jersey, exert a powerful psychological influence, often leveraging cognitive biases like the Gambler's Fallacy and the Law of Small Numbers to make individuals feel more capable and in control, which can genuinely enhance performance in areas like academics and sports.

**Key Points:**
- The speaker uses the example of eating Skittles before a test to illustrate how superstitions create a psychological sense of control, even if the actual success is due to preparation.
- Wearing a Harvard T-shirt before a test made the speaker feel smarter and more confident, suggesting that the perceived authority or belief associated with an object can influence self-perception.
- NFL players' pre-game rituals, like eating Skittles or wearing specific socks, are examples of superstitions that create psychological ease and focus, resulting in enhanced performance.
- The speaker cites the 'Mind Over Milkshake Experiment' where participants reported different levels of fullness based on whether the shake was labeled 'Health Shake' (140 calories) or 'Dessert Shake' (620 calories), despite both actually containing 300 calories, proving the power of expectation.
- Superstitions are evolutionary artifacts stemming from our hunter-gatherer ancestors' need to find patterns (even illusory ones) for survival.
- These shared beliefs, whether religious, national, or cultural, provide structure and a sense of control in an uncertain world, demonstrating that the mind's perception can alter physiological responses, like hormone levels (e.g., ghrelin).
- The key takeaway is that while the magical forces behind superstitions do not exist, the belief itself can be a powerful tool to improve performance by creating confidence and reducing anxiety.

![Screenshot at 07:36: The slide illustrating the 'Mind Over Milkshake Experiment' shows two shakes, one labeled 'Health Shake' \(140 Calories\) and the other 'Dessert Shake' \(620 Calories\), with an arrow indicating that both were actually 300 calories, demonstrating that perceived labeling strongly influenced subjects' physical response \(ghrelin levels\).](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/FlrFp5D2W7s/00-07-36.jpg)

**Context:** Connor Kao delivers a TEDx talk titled 'Skittles and Other Superstitions that Oddly Work' at TEDxMountainViewHighSchool, exploring the psychological mechanisms behind why seemingly irrational beliefs and rituals, common in academics and sports, can actually lead to improved performance. He grounds his argument in cognitive science, using personal anecdotes and research findings, like the 'Mind Over Milkshake Experiment,' to show how expectation and belief shape our physical and mental states.

## Detailed Analysis

Connor Kao argues that superstitions, far from being merely irrational, provide a powerful psychological boost that can genuinely enhance performance in various domains. He opens by describing his own routine of flipping Skittles before a test, noting that while the candy itself is irrelevant, the ritual creates a necessary psychological buffer against anxiety, allowing his mind to function without distraction. He extends this to academic contexts, citing his use of a Harvard T-shirt to feel smarter, and to sports, mentioning NFL players who eat Skittles or wear specific socks before games because they believe these actions improve performance. Kao introduces the 'Mind Over Milkshake Experiment' as concrete scientific evidence: participants who drank a shake labeled as a 'Dessert Shake' (620 calories) felt fuller than those who drank the exact same shake labeled a 'Health Shake' (140 calories), as shown on screen at 07:15. This confirmed that the *belief* about the substance, not the substance itself, altered the physiological response (specifically, ghrelin levels). He traces this pattern-seeking instinct back to our hunter-gatherer ancestors, who relied on superstitious thinking for survival, and notes that this tendency shapes modern society, nations, and ambition. He concludes that while no actual supernatural force exists, embracing beneficial superstitions—like the pre-game rituals or lucky items—can be a powerful tool to create self-efficacy, reduce anxiety, and ultimately change one's biology and performance by aligning mind and body.

### Introduction to Superstition

- Feeling the relief when a ritual works after a bad test score
- Realizing the cause is not external
- Defining superstition as an irrational belief not based on reason (02:17)

### Personal and Athletic Examples

- Using a Harvard shirt to feel smarter before exams
- NFL players eating Skittles before games for psychological ease (04:15, 04:55)

### Scientific Evidence

- The 'Mind Over Milkshake Experiment' shows participants felt fuller after drinking the shake they believed was high-calorie (620 cal) versus the identical low-calorie one (140 cal) (06:56)

### Evolutionary Roots

- Superstitious pattern-seeking is an inherited trait from the hunter-gatherer age, providing an evolutionary advantage for survival (02:33, 02:39)

### Societal Impact

- Belief systems, including religion and national values, are molded by shared superstitions, providing stability during crises (08:22, 08:52)

### Conclusion

- The power lies not in magic, but in the psychological effect of aligning belief with performance, allowing individuals to 'write their own luck' (09:33, 10:10)

![Screenshot at 00:05: Speaker Connor Kao takes the stage for his TEDx talk titled "Skittles and Other Superstitions that Oddly Work."](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/FlrFp5D2W7s/00-00-05.jpg)
![Screenshot at 01:37: A slide displays a wrinkled, light-colored Harvard T-shirt, illustrating the speaker's personal superstition of wearing it for academic tests.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/FlrFp5D2W7s/00-01-37.jpg)
![Screenshot at 02:54: An animated graphic shows a caveman startled by a tiger emerging from a bush, representing the ancient evolutionary advantage of pattern recognition and superstition for survival.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/FlrFp5D2W7s/00-02-54.jpg)
![Screenshot at 07:01: A graphic compares two milkshakes: one labeled 'Health Shake' \(140 Calories\) and the other 'Dessert Shake' \(620 Calories\), highlighting the core focus of the Mind Over Milkshake Experiment.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/FlrFp5D2W7s/00-07-01.jpg)
![Screenshot at 08:31: A slide displays four images related to belief systems: scenes of religious gatherings, crosses, and two orange, cone-shaped objects \(possibly fortune cookies or similar symbols\), illustrating how shared beliefs structure society.](https://ss.rapidrecap.app/screens/FlrFp5D2W7s/00-08-31.jpg)