Am I Normal?habits
I avoid stepping on cracks in pavement even though I know it doesn't matter
Crack-avoidance is a mild superstitious ritual — the brain creates a small rule and then feels mild discomfort when it's violated. This is linked to the same cognitive system that produces OCD, though at subclinical levels. The ritual provides a micro-sense of control over the environment.
Have you ever done this?
Be honest — have you ever done this?
Related fact
'Step on a crack, break your mother's back' dates to late 19th-century American children's rhymes and was originally connected to racial superstitions about cracks separating the known world from the unknown.