Our happy hour fact to amaze your drinking buddies with.

Superstitious ways of bringing good luck seem to improve people's performance at certain tasks.

Researchers from the University of Cologne conducted a series of experiments involving good luck charms. In one, they had participants putt a golf ball. Half the group was told the ball was "lucky". In another experiment participants were asked to see how many little balls they could stuff into a slab with holes. This time the test's administrators said they were "crossing their fingers" for some people, but not for others. Finally, memory tests were given, with half the participants being allowed to hold a good luck charm while taking them.

In each experiment, the participants who were afforded the good luck gesture performed better. The researchers attribute this to the good luck charms allowing people to set higher goals, and making them feel more confident in their abilities.

Does this mean cursing someone will bring them bad luck? It seems like it would, and that is why we will now be making hexes a bigger part of our everyday life.