If Your Left Palm Itches, You Will Lose Money; If Your Right Palm Itches, You Will Gain Money

Financial fates foretold through palm itches

Details

According to widespread folk belief across multiple cultural traditions, an unexplained itch on the palm is a sign of imminent financial change. The interpretation hinges on which palm itches: the right palm is believed to indicate incoming wealth or good fortune, while the left palm portends financial loss or unexpected expenses. Some versions of the superstition include additional qualifiers, such as the location of the itch on the palm or the strength of the sensation influencing the magnitude or source of the financial change. Enhancement rituals are also mentioned in some traditions—scratching an itchy right palm on wood is thought to amplify the gain, whereas rubbing the left palm on metal may lessen or reverse the predicted loss.

Historical Context

This form of bodily omen divination appears across various cultural systems:

European Roma traditions included interpretations of palm itching within broader fortune-telling frameworks.
In Celtic folklore, the right side of the body was linked to favorable outcomes and the left to unfavorable ones, reinforcing the directional symbolism.
Indian folk traditions offer similar left/right palm interpretations, often tied to regional spiritual beliefs.
Caribbean communities also maintain versions of the superstition, with slight variations in ritual responses.
Literary reference appears in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, where Brutus associates itchy palms with bribery and greed, suggesting the superstition was already well-known in Elizabethan England.

The pattern of interpreting left-side sensations as negative and right-side as positive aligns with a broader historical bias against left-handedness and may have reinforced the superstition’s persistence.

Modern Relevance

The belief remains popular today in many cultures. A 2019 survey found that 38% of Americans believed in the superstition to some degree. In financial media, the idea is often referenced humorously during unpredictable stock movements or betting periods. The phrase “itchy palms” is still used metaphorically to describe someone greedy or eager to receive money. This superstition exemplifies how simple bodily sensations have been incorporated into predictive systems that satisfy psychological needs to foresee and influence financial outcomes.

Sources

Opie, I., & Tatem, M. (2005). A Dictionary of Superstitions. Oxford University Press.
Vyse, S. (2013). Believing in Magic: The Psychology of Superstition. Oxford University Press.

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