For some, Friday the 13th is an ordinary day and for others, it’s an unlucky day that causes fear.

Up to 60 million people have a fear of a particular date on the calendar and a particular day of the week. Combined, Friday the 13th brings thoughts of dread. It gives inspiration for horror movies and becomes a true nightmare for superstitious people.

Research at the University of Hertfordshire in Great Britain showed that one in four people who face this fear is more anxious and thus more prone to accidents on Friday, 13. Well, you can kind of see the correlation here.

Where is the truth and where is the myth? What does the research show?

On Friday the 13th, millions of people have garlic and blue beads in their pockets, being sure that because of this day, something bad is going to happen. Indeed, many people avoid going down the stairs or taking their cars to go to work on Friday, 13.

The horror of some inexplicable accident or crime is just too much to bear, so much so that every precaution is taken to ward off the evil vibe of this day. Yeah, seems like silly superstition, doesn’t it?

However, studies have shown that because of this phobia, the risk of accidents on the road has increased to 52% compared to an earlier date. Now, this is getting a little too real!

The number 13

Indicative of bias is the fact that there are buildings and hotels abroad that do not have the 13th floor so that the 12th floor is followed by the 14th.

At the same time, many streets have no buildings with number 13. This is seen in many cities and towns throughout the world, actually.

Furthermore, 13 is a number that violates the harmony of the number 12:

  • 12 Apostles
  • 12 gods of Olympus
  • 12 Months

Friday

This day of the week, Friday has also been associated with negative meaning. It is considered to bring bad luck, according to the Christian religion, because Christ was crucified on Friday. Some even believe that Noah encountered the great flood and Eve was tempted on Friday as well.

The combination of day and number

Put Friday with the number 13, and according to many people, you have a deadly combination. If we turn back a few pages of history we will see that several incidents occurred on Friday the 13th.

  • 1927: “Black Friday” in Berlin, as the stock market “sunk”.
  • 1972: A plane with the Uruguayan rugby team on board crashed in the Andes. The survivors turned to cannibalism to survive.
  • 1992: An earthquake struck Turkey, resulting in the death of 2,000 people and leaving roofless 50,000 people.

We can say that Friday the 13th is well-known in the Western world, this is true. However, this day has become pretty popular all over the world.

It is such a familiar topic that scientists have given the fear of this day a name: paraskevidekatriaphobia. The fear of Friday the 13th is said to paralyze and bring dread to those who believe, and nothing brings more soothing comfort than the new day.

Do you believe in the darkness of Friday the 13th?


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