By giving us a sense of self-determination, the adoption of rituals – including the completely random behaviours that we have learnt ourselves or borrowed from those we admire – can help us to overcome anxiety, and may even bring about a noticeable boost in performance.

When we hear of others' triumphs, we often end up copying their habits, too, including the arbitrary rituals that they had acquired through superstitious learning - a phenomenon known as 'over-imitation'.

• 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.