Curses: Folklore, Fear & Social Power

Are curses real - or are they powerful stories humans have told for centuries to explain misfortune?

In this episode of It’s A Small World, Tanya and Mich explore the strange history of curses, from ancient Roman curse tablets and African spiritual traditions to European folklore and modern horror stories.

Why have humans across almost every culture believed that misfortune could be deliberately sent to someone? Is it about magic… revenge… justice… or something deeper in human psychology?

Along the way we look at the difference between curses and superstitions, why humans have such a deep need to create meaning when life feels chaotic, and how belief itself can influence reality through concepts like confirmation bias and the nocebo effect.

We also explore famous stories of cursed objects, unsettling films that seem surrounded by misfortune, and the fascinating ways perception and belief shape what we see and experience.

Because as evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould once said:

Humans are primates that tell stories.

And sometimes those stories are powerful enough to feel real.

Next week: Epigenetic Curses - can trauma really be passed down through generations?