We all have good luck stories, superstitions, and routines. Weirdly enough, many of these seem to revolve around money. And why wouldn’t they? In a society such as ours, money opens plenty of doors!
That said, there are a few superstitions and suggestions that you may not have heard of before. You’ve probably heard of the lucky rabbit’s foot and the four-leaf clover – but what about an itchy left hand?
There is no evidence to support the superstition that an itchy left hand means that you’re about to win big in the lottery. If it’s a small amount of money that you’re spending to buy a ticket, it’s not a problem. But just don’t bet the farm on a random itch!
The left-hand itch: are you set to win big?
Left-hand itching is a fairly niche superstition. Some people believe that if they feel an odd tingling or itching in their wrist, they stand to come into a lot of money.
In fact, there have been lottery winners who attribute their prizes to the itchy hand phenomenon. Take Mary Shammas, for example, who took away $64 million on the back of a slightly tingly left hand. Shammas only decided to play the lottery on the grounds of feeling the itch.
Other lottery winners claim that they’ve won big because they’ve felt the southpaw tingle, too. Some claim that they felt their palms itching – indicating they felt something huge was on the way to them.
In fact, the origins of the superstition suggest that it’s the back of your left hand that’ll itch or tingle if you’re due to get a big money payout – not necessarily on a lottery draw, mind.
On the other hand – literally – an itchy right palm or back of your hand means that you’ll be giving money away. Again, circumstances may vary – it might be a gift, not necessarily a hefty payment to the IRS!
What’s the background of the itchy left hand superstition?
Believe it or not, this superstition isn’t purely plucked out of thin air. It dates back to an older concept that scratching your left hand a lot would bring about good fortune.
More to this, some believe that an itchy hand, or a left hand in need of scratching, indicates that you’re receiving a message from an unknown force. Some people with religious beliefs, for example, may interpret this to mean an angel is trying to bless them, or at least trying to communicate with them.
It’s likely that this superstition’s origins will vary no matter where you go. It’s interesting to see how it’s varied over the years and across different cultures and continents, too!
But – is there honestly any truth to left hand itching indicating you’re due a lottery win?
What does an itchy left hand mean?
From the perspective of finance, an itchy left hand does not mean anything. There is no evidence to prove that an itchy left hand brings good luck or otherwise. Of course people continue to believe in superstitions and such beliefs are fine – just don’t bet too much money and don’t have any expectations!
The truth about left hand itching and lottery wins
It’s certainly not my place to quash anyone’s stories or beliefs – however, there’s unfortunately just not enough evidence out there to support the idea that itchy left hands spell huge windfalls in weeks to come.
In fact, we need to look at the phenomenon from a mathematical perspective. For all the lottery winners from all over the world and across the years, only a select few have publicly mentioned itchy left hands. It’s likely to be a small percentage who’d attribute the itching to the win!
The counter-argument here is that some of the winners may not have noticed the itching – but we can’t feasibly prove this one way or the other.
Let’s also consider human psychology (without getting too deep!).
As humans, we tend to create stories about almost everything we do. The working days we experience, the items we cherish – it’s not unheard of for people to attach reasoning behind luck to a story or a phenomenon.
One reason for this is that we want to be able to retell the story for years to come. We want to take ownership of a big win that’s otherwise pretty random!
Beyond this, those who believe in superstitions and have trinkets and routines simply want to recreate their luck. If you had an itchy left hand the moment you picked your lottery numbers – and then won a large sum of money – it’d be hard not to associate that phenomenon with your windfall.
You’d also likely want to replicate this luck elsewhere in your life! If not with money, in terms of health and in terms of fortune for the people you care about.
Therefore, while it’s sadly pretty unlikely that superstitions are completely to blame for big cash prizes, it’s understandable why people enjoy following them so much.
Is the lottery completely random?
Yes! There’s an extremely small chance that you’ll win the lottery, no matter which games you choose to play. What’s more, games provided by lottery bodies are regulated to ensure that numbers provided are completely randomized.
The same applies to casino games, too. While you may blow on your dice or shake a number of times before you roll in a game of craps, for example, the odds of you winning are always going to be the same.
That said, I don’t want to spoil anyone’s fun! It’s nice to think that there are patterns and moves we can all make to influence the ways our luck transpires.
It’s in our nature to try and find reasons behind strange phenomena. Given that luck is an unknown entity that we can’t tangibly manage, it’s no wonder so many of us fall back on superstitions.
Some advice regarding superstitions
For all superstitions can be harmless, they stop being this way if you make decisions based purely around arbitrary ideas and objects.
While it’s fine to have routines and superstitions, never apply all of your financial decision-making into concepts we don’t have tangible grips on!
Try and balance your superstitions with plans that you can easily follow when it comes to major purchases. What’s more, don’t chase wins on the lottery or in the casino simply because your luck is “due to come in”. I’m afraid luck will come to you completely at random – and you can’t ever go chasing it!
Before You Go…
In conclusion, while it’s intriguing to entertain superstitions and myths surrounding lottery wins, it’s essential to remember that lotteries are random events, dictated by chance rather than specific rituals or beliefs. Relying on these superstitions might add a little fun to the process, but they hold no real power over the outcome.
However, once Lady Luck does favor you, it’s the practical decisions you make thereafter that genuinely matter. If you’ve found yourself holding a winning ticket, or if you’re simply curious, check out our next blog post which outlines the best banks for lottery winners, ensuring that your fortune is managed and protected in the best possible way.
by Jon Craig
I am the creator of Project Financially Free and I started this journey to both educate myself and share my insights on personal finance. I’m passionate about financial literacy and I invite you to join me on this transformative path. See more.