A new study shows good luck charms–like baseball player Jason Giambi's lucky thong–can improve athletic performance, .
Researchers in the psych department at Germany's conducted a series of experiments designed to determine if good-luck superstitions work, like , 's UNC shorts, or a golfer's need to kiss the ball before a put. The answer?
鈥淎ctivating a good-luck superstition leads to improved performance by boosting people鈥檚 belief in their ability to master a task,鈥 the . Of course, innate talent and hard training don't hurt either.
–Erin Beresini