When Superstitious Beliefs Cause Original Harm
Superstitions can lead to behaviors that can be darkly creative.
Updated August 20, 2025 | Reviewed by Tyler Woods
Co-authored by Hansika Kapoor, Ph.D., and Apoorva Thakur
In August 2022, a distressing case came to light when a woman filed a complaint against her husband and in-laws. They allegedly forced the 38-year-old to bathe naked under a waterfall in Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra, India. This act was part of a black magic ritual prescribed by a local occultist, who assured the family that it would result in her conceiving a male child.
Although the intent was not to cause suffering, the ritual led to a deeply damaging outcome. Black magic or dark magic is the use of supernatural forces to achieve some goal, often selfish or at times malevolent. Despite the law against black magic in Maharashtra (based on the Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice, other Inhuman and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act, 2013), there are several instances of individuals practising it or resorting to using it. Driven by belief and perhaps hoping to gain some power , people rely on black magic rituals for different reasons, like seeking revenge or even financial gain.
Another incident involved a hospital in Mumbai being investigated for financial fraud, which later took an unsettling turn. When the alleged embezzlement was being investigated, trustees discovered seven urns with hair and skeletons in the premises—objects commonly associated with black magic rituals. Although the financial misdeeds were already disturbing, the presence of these ritualistic items hinted at something far more sinister. Allegedly, these were planted by former trustees in the working spaces of current trustees during a financial power struggle; their purpose was still unclear. While the fraud case is still under court investigation, it raises questions not just about belief, but about how superstition can be weaponized—perhaps as an act of intimidation or to cause harm to other people.
Incidents like these highlight how deeply ingrained beliefs and trust in superstitions can lead to extreme actions. And in some cases, extremely creative, but harmful actions. But why are such beliefs widely accepted and followed blindly despite causing harm?
Superstitions, in general, are unscientific beliefs based on situations and coincidences to support them. According to the APA Dictionary of Psychology , superstition can be defined as “a belief or practice that is not based on scientific evidence or reason but is instead grounded in the assumption that certain actions or events can influence unrelated outcomes.”
Are all superstitions necessarily harmful? Not always. For example, a study with a series of experiments found that believing in superstitions related to good luck can help people perform better. It can boost their self-efficacy –their belief in their ability to master a task. In such cases, superstitions act like cognitive scaffolds, meaning they can boost confidence and potentially even reduce anxiety in uncertain situations. Imagine having your lucky handkerchief on a first date that goes well. However, they are positive when they are self-driven and not coercive, imposed by, or harmful to others.
Dark Creativity of Superstitions
The incidents mentioned in the beginning stemmed from superstitions that can be harmful to the people involved. So, are the superstitions darkly creative? Some can be, because the behaviors following superstitions are usually recommended to “correct” a situation. These solutions often follow symbolic thinking, elaborate rituals, and can be manipulative as well, depending on the situation. This is because these intricate rituals tap into a perceived cause-and-effect logic, where symbolic actions are believed to bring actual solutions. The latitude of available behaviors is very wide; after all, none of them are based on scientific evidence, meaning anything goes! Eat a specific type of cookie and you’ll earn more money, or sleep in a North-South direction and your parents will live for another 10 years.
Unsurprisingly, this is related to malevolent creativity , where novel ideas are used to achieve an outcome that is potentially negative or harmful–be it for others or oneself. In case of the “ritual” that was forced upon the woman, it was a creative idea (why not try bathing under a waterfall; maybe you’ll be able to bear a boy), but a very selfish and harmful one. The family not only blindly followed what was told to them, but they also engineered a scenario that was humiliating and traumatizing to the woman.
Furthermore, in that particular scenario, the occultist used deception , making the family believe that engaging in that act (more like coercing the woman into it) would lead to their expected outcome. An EEG study has shown that people may be potentially good at generating malevolent ideas and are usually unbothered by the anger or distress of others, especially when they feel no empathy or fear of consequences.
Along with that, India has also seen a rise in Godmen and spiritual gurus who offer creative “solutions” to their followers’ problems, ranging from simple suggestions like wearing specific rings to climbing mountains to reach a particular obscure temple. And as if charging money for these spiritual consultations was not enough, these rituals have taken on a commercial life of their own, often broadcast on TV channels and monetized through donations, merchandise, and sponsored pilgrimages.
People often say something like this when it comes to their beliefs about supernatural beings or superstitions: You won’t believe it unless it happens to you. However, it’s still something that people just believe in, rather than something supported by factual evidence. This is why it would be interesting to conduct studies with people who come up with these darkly creative rituals, such as occultists, spiritual healers, and self-proclaimed Godmen. Their (often) irrational belief systems are not always bound by logic or science, and may further lead to the most imaginative and original solutions, which have the potential to be harmful.
Then the question remains: how do people fall for such wild solutions? Is it desperation, belief, or a combination of other unknowns? It is unlikely that we can combat superstitions with scientific literacy alone because we are dealing with more deep-seated assumptions about how the world works. By studying not just followers of supernatural rituals but also their creators, we may be able to shed more light on the entire system, so that faith does not turn into a tool for exploitation.
Deshpande, S. (2022, August 23). Pune woman forced to bathe under waterfall in front of others to ‘bear children’ - Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times. https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/pune-news/pune-man-forces-wife-to-bathe-naked-in-public-during-black-magic-ritual-to-conceive-male-child-four-people-arrested-101661188991765.html
Bombay High Court. (2013). Maharashtra Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice, other Inhuman and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Act. https://bombayhighcourt.nic.in/libweb/acts/Mah.Ord.2013.14.PDF
Press Trust of India. (2025, March 14). 7 urns with human hair and skulls: “Rs 1,500 crore fraud” at Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital with a black magic twist. The Times of India. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/7-urns-with-human-hair-and-skulls-rs-1500-crore-fraud-at-mumbais-lilavati-hospital-with-a-black-magic-twist/articleshow/118956450.cms
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Hansika Kapoor, Ph.D. , is a psychologist and researcher at Monk Prayogshala, India, with research interests in creativity, cognitive and social psychology, and behavioral economics.
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