[Pseudoscience-is-malarkey (OP)]

Or is it most likely another one of those pseudo-scientific culinary practices?

[Bored chemist]

"Does freshly grounding spices really make a difference?"
No, but grinding them might.

[Colin2B]

Or is it most likely another one of those pseudo-scientific culinary practices?

I’m with BC on this, never had static on my spices, and grounding them would definitely be a pseudoscientific practice 

However, many of the flavours in spices are fairly volatile and will go with time. Keeping them locked up in the original kernel etc should help preserve the flavour. If you buy them ready ground be prepared to waste quite a bit as they definitely start to lose flavour after opening.

[Petrochemicals]

Freshly grinding coffee works! Fres,sh ground flour also.

[alancalverd]

It's the difference between a really good Indian restaurant and supermarket curry powder. Curry pastes manage to trap some of the volatiles in oil, but the "real thing" has an altogether higher dimensionality.

[Colin2B]

@Pseudoscience-is-malarkey If you are really interested in this subject I believe there is a whole website devoted to it. I’m told it’s called grinder.