(01-31-2024, 07:08 PM)argentus Wrote: I absolutely revere certain superstitions, particularly those which surround certain numbers. I love the number nine for several reasons. If I encounter it in my day-to-day life, I consider that a favorable omen, and will likely change the course of my bearing.You are largely correct IMO. There are definitely inborn things, and many well-known ancient Chinese doctors were documented to be able to see inside the body, etc. While a lot of people don't want to acknowledge certain things, there is a very strong dependency on the moral/spiritual civilization for those things to occur more widely. You will never get those things by driven pursuit.
+
Me, being a hardline researcher, am not very susceptible to prognosticators of any ilk. I don't think I'd pay even a first look at a numerologist at at casino. I admit to believing in certain aspects of fortunetelling, in the manner of people who are genuine clairvoyants. I have known a person who I believed was a true clairvoyant. She didn't think that she was always on the money, and often would say that she didn't "feel the pull" of whatever it was that hooked her into the zone. Still, she was remarkably accurate when she WAS in the zone.
I think those skills live in all of us to varying degrees. I think we can increase our skills if we focus upon them, much as we can increase the strength and size of a muscle. I also believe that the human mind is barely tapped, and is capable of incredible things. I think historic healers were born better than us at these skills.
Of course, I could be completely full of crap. These are my beliefs. ;o)
If the overall environment changes, more of these things will appear. Until then, they are sparse, kept hidden, and only functional at an acceptable level in accordance with the level of "cleanliness" of society.
As to the OP, I do find it interesting that women were basically unaffected. It would be interesting to see what man/woman gambling habits are in general. It may be something altogether unrelated -- or maybe it is. I am also suspect about how you determine whether someone "believed" or not. I am thinking men would be more hesitant to say they did, though you would need another survey to get that info.