#88 Bad Juju, Good Juju

Imagine you're at a World War II exhibit, and the museum guide asks if you’d like to try on a sweater once worn by Adolf Hitler. You’d likely feel disgusted. 𝘞𝘩𝘺?

Magical contagion is the unconscious belief that objects can carry and transfer the “essence” of those who touched them; amazingly, it tends to persist despite the fact that people 𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 it’s not possible.

This deep-seated belief can influence behavior, such as consumer resistance to second-hand clothing, even when items are sanitized and like new.

But magical contagion isn’t always negative. Research shows that items once possessed by celebrities often gain value, like a tape measure owned by John F. Kennedy that sold for $48,875.

Perhaps by embracing this positive magical contagion we could encourage donations to support humanitarian crises, such as by auctioning off personal items from celebrity supporters like Enrique Iglesias, Luke Evans or K-pop star “V.”