Lucky Socks and Pre-Match Rituals: 55 Percent of Athletes Are Superstitious, Rituals Manage Anxiety - and Across 73 Meta-Analyses Anxiety Barely Predicts Performance While Confidence Does

3 days ago

4 min read

Lucky socks, a fixed pre-match meal, the same song before every lift: most athletes have a ritual and most coaches tolerate it with a smile. The research question underneath is not whether the socks work but why the rituals exist, how common they are, and whether the anxiety they are supposed to manage actually costs performance in the first place. A 2025 systematic review answers the first two questions and a 2025 scoping review of 73 meta-analyses answers the third.

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