Mimicking The Successful

Why do successful people follow such eccentrically specific habits? And why are we so keen to read about them and mimic them in our own lives?

The answer lies in a powerful psychological process called ‘superstitious learning’. The brain is constantly looking for associations between two events. While it is mostly correct, it sometimes mistakes coincidence for causality – leading us to attribute success to something as arbitrary as the colour of our notebook or the number of beans in our brew, rather than our own talent or hard work.

• Once rituals informed by superstitious learning exist, they can extend their influence beyond their creator.
• We're conditioned to admire successful people and mimic their habits, even if some of these habits are eccentric.