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The truth about Friday the 13th
Fearing that any Friday that happens to be the 13th of the month will lead to terrible things is not an unusual fear. Is it justified though?
It’s called friggatriskaidekaphobia (good luck pronouncing that) and it combines a fear of Fridays (the third best day of the week) with the perception that number 13 is a seriously unlucky number. What does science say about that?
There are three Friday the 13th's in 2015: February 13th, March 13th, Today is this year’s first Friday the 13th - there'll be another in March and then again in November. So prepare to brace yourself for the FEAR.
Are there any statistics behind the superstition?
A 2002 study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry concluded that Friday the 13th may be a dangerous day for women, because they tend to be more anxious and superstitious.
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The truth about Friday the 13th
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The reverse dynamic was illustrated in a study by a group of Dutch researchers who believe that you are LESS likely to be ‘unlucky’ on a Friday the 13th. It is believed that fewer accidents and reports of fire and theft occur when the 13th of the month falls on a Friday compared to any other Friday because people are preventatively more careful.
For us non-believers, it’s just like any other day so we’re unlikely to change our behaviour and be more careful. Weirdly, we might end up in more accidents as a result.
We've had a stab at illustrating the statistics behind the feared day. Here is a helpful comparison of that one day of the year versus the other 364:
Cr. The Mirror
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