The Evil Eye: A Folklore Casebook

The evil eye

Casebook

Plants Associated with Withcraft and Evil Eye

The present article, continuation of a previous work, is an attempt to study the plants to which magical properties are attributed. It is based on published information as well as survey conducted by the authors.

The Economic Origins of the Evil Eye Belief∗

The evil eye belief is a widespread superstition according to which people can cause harm by a mere envious glance at coveted objects or their owners. This paper argues that such belief originated and persisted as a useful heuristic under conditions in which envy was likely to trigger destructive behavior and the avoidance of other people’s envy, effectively prescribed by the evil eye belief, w...

Hypothesis: The Electrophysiological Basis of Evil Eye Belief

The sense of being stared at is the basis of evil eye beliefs, which are regarded as superstitions because the emission of any form of energy from the human eye has been rejected by Western science. However, brainwaves in the 1–40 Hertz, 1–10 microvolt range emitted through the eye can be detected using a high-impedance electrode housed inside electromagnetically insulated goggles. This signal,...