Does Quan Hongchan's pendant really bring her strength? ｜ Talk about the heart· Hot topics of the week
2024-08-07
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Hot Topics of the Week
The Paris Olympics not only featured a contest of skills and physical strength, but also a contest of emotions and spirit. Not long after Wang Chuqin, the world's No. 1 Chinese men's table tennis player, won the mixed doubles championship, his main racket was accidentally stepped on and broken by a photographer. The next day, he unexpectedly lost to Swedish player Moregaard and missed the top 16. Does a temporary racket change really have such a big impact on athletes? Diving champion Quan Hongchan has always liked all kinds of dolls. In this Olympics, her backpack was full of all kinds of cute pendants. Can these pendants really bring her good luck? In this issue of Talking about the Heart, let's talk about the beloved things that children often carry with them. What do they mean to them?
What can lucky charms bring to people?
At the Paris Olympics, I believe many people have noticed the lucky charms that athletes carry with them, which seem to bring them good luck, such as the pendant on Quan Hongchan's schoolbag and the jadeite on Chen Meng's neck. Many people will bring their lucky charms to exams or competitions, hoping that it will bring good luck. What is the psychology behind this? Yang Yang, a psychological researcher and trainer at the Guangzhou Tianhe District Education Development Institute, said that the psychological mechanism behind bringing lucky charms to the exam room or the stadium is complex and diverse. In summary, there are mainly three aspects:
One is self-suggestion. In psychology, self-suggestion is an important psychological phenomenon. Individuals may seek material objects to enhance their confidence, believing that these objects can bring extra strength and good luck. Objects such as lucky charms or pendants are not just simple decorations, but become tools for individuals to self-suggest. Through these objects, individuals can quickly convey positive information to themselves, thereby gaining psychological support and strength.
The second is transitional objects. In psychology, this is defined as objects that individuals rely on during the transition period from one environment to another, such as dolls or toys from childhood. These objects give children a sense of comfort and companionship when their parents are unable to provide continuous companionship. Adults may also rely on similar objects for psychological comfort and support. They symbolize security and familiarity, provide a kind of psychological continuity, and help individuals maintain psychological and emotional stability when facing new environments and challenges.
The third is the attribution theory. Some people attribute their success to their personal ability and efforts, while others believe that they need the help of luck or external uncontrollable factors. Therefore, they may place their hopes on certain items, believing that these items can bring them good luck.
Tips: A positive attitude is your lucky charm
Yang Yang emphasized that whether these lucky items can really bring good luck depends on how the individual uses them. "Positive psychological cues may help improve personal performance, but there is also the risk of over-dependence. If an individual places all his or her faith on something, once the item is lost or damaged, it may trigger a negative psychological reaction."
Yang Yang reminded that it is important to learn to internalize external lucky items as personal psychological resources and make oneself one's own lucky charm. "In competitions or exams, we should learn to forget past successes and failures, make every moment a new beginning, and not overly rely on external items, but rely on our own abilities, efforts and mentality to face challenges. In this way, no matter what situation we face, we can maintain a positive attitude and perform at our best."
In the men's singles quarter-finals of the Paris Olympics, Fan Zhendong lost to Zhang Benzhihe 0:2 at the beginning. Before the third game, coach Wang Hao took Fan Zhendong to change his jersey. After returning, Fan Zhendong was like a different person and completed a stunning comeback. This can't help but remind people of the 2016 Rio Olympics, when Ma Long was behind 0:2, Liu Guoliang also took him to change his jersey, and then Ma Long won. Liu Guoliang once came out to explain that at that time, he told Ma Long to change his clothes and start over.
Yang Yang said that this is the determination to go all out, "Forget the past, start over from scratch, and eliminate all distractions, and you can often perform at your true level."
Planning | Gong Danfeng, Chen Xiaoxuan, Xu Hanghang
Coordination | Wei Yi and He Ning
Supervisory Unit | Guangdong Provincial Department of Education Guangdong Provincial Institute of Education
Expert members | Psychological researchers and frontline teachers across the province
(This article would like to thank Yang Yang, a psychological researcher and trainer at the Guangzhou Tianhe District Education Development Research Institute, for his professional guidance)
