Why do so many of us share this uncorroborated fear that Friday 13th will bring us bad luck. When I was growing up my whole family was aware of Friday 13th, usually days ahead of it, and planned to be more careful automatically. Whoever did have bad luck blamed it on that day.
Many of us alter our behavior on Friday the 13th. Bad things do sometimes happen on that date, but there’s no evidence they do so disproportionately.
Despite that, about 45 million people in Canada and the U.S. admit it would bother them to stay on one particular floor in high-rise hotels: the 13th. According to the Otis Elevator Co., for every building with a floor numbered “13,” six other buildings pretend to not have one, skipping right to 14.
Picture busy streets on Friday the 13th in large cities such as Ottawa or Toronto where packs of people are walking slower than usual and in lockstep. No pushing and shoving to get somewhere like other days. It appears like overall mind control. If so could masses of people be its scary to think this could be subjected to manipulation by “The New World Order” – it’s scary just imagining it..
What is fascinating is when millions of people share the same misconception to the extent that it affects behavior on a broad scale. Such is the power of 13.
Returning to the of 13’s bad reputation as murky and speculative. The historical explanation may be as simple as its chance association with lucky number 12. Joe Nickell who investigates the paranormal, points out that number 12 often represents “completeness”: the number of months in the year, gods on Olympus, signs of the zodiac and apostles of Jesus. Thirteen contrasts with this sense of goodness and perfection.
One of the most destructive hits of WWII on Friday September 13 1940 while Queen Elizabeth and King George VI were at tea. Five bombs struck the palace, one of which destroyed the interior of the Royal Chapel. Another ruptured a water main. Three people were injured, one fatally.
A rumor or superstition generates its own social reality, snowballing like an urban legend as it rolls down the hill of time. In Japan, 9 is unlucky, In Italy, it’s 17. In China, 4 sounds like “death” and is more actively avoided in everyday life than 13 is in our culture – including a willingness to pay higher fees to avoid it in cellphone numbers.
And though 666 is considered lucky in China, many Christians around the world associate it with an evil beast described in the biblical Book of Revelation.
In everyday life, 13 is less common than 12. There’s no 13th month, 13-inch ruler, or 13 o’clock. By itself, a sense of unfamiliarity won’t cause a phobia, but psychological research shows that we favor what is familiar and disfavor what is not. This makes it easier to associate 13 with negative attributes.
There are many kinds of specific phobias, and people hold them for a variety of psychological reasons. They can arise from direct negative experiences – fearing bees after being stung by one, for example. Other risk factors for developing a phobia include being very young and having relatives with phobias, having a more sensitive personality and being exposed to others with phobias.
People also may assign dark attributes to 13 for the same reason that many believe in “full moon effects.” Beliefs that the full moon influences mental health, crime rates, accidents and other human calamities have been thoroughly debunked. Still, when people are looking to confirm their beliefs, they are prone to infer connections between unrelated factors. For example, having a car accident during a full moon, or on a Friday the 13th, makes the event seem all the more memorable and significant. Once locked in, such beliefs are very hard to shake.
Funny though – in Bingo, the number 13 is the one number that most advertising of the game makes use of. In fact number 13 is often sewn onto a bingo shirt for good luck.
I’m still cautious about Friday the 13th. Walking under a ladder; I will often do that, even backwards just to prove it has no Influence on my lifestyle but crossing my fingers of course.
