Why Is Friday The 13th Considered Unlucky In Our Culture?

Gentle Reader, I have a little something to say, but I want to say it kindly. You know, I should be as gentle with you as you are with me, right?

No, actually, let's not do that. I wanna keep my job for a bit longer. So I'll be a... little gentler than some of the comments out there.

You're comfy? Feel good? Need a water?

Good. Look, this "superstition" stuff? It's gone on long enough. It's time. The number 13 is just a number. It's not bad for any reason. It's just... misunderstood.

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Many cultures considered 12 to be a "complete" number. You get it, 12 months in a year, 12 zodiac signs, 12 apostles, etc. So 13 was seen as… one too many. Unbalanced. Weird. And in Christian cultures, some say Judas was the 13th guest at the table.... and, well, we all know how that ended. I'm sure the Thor comic book fan in your life told you about "the party". A popular legend tells of a dinner party in Valhalla with 12 gods. Loki, the trickster god, crashed as the 13th guest, and chaos (and murder) ensued. Chris Hemsworth wasn't there, sadly. Neither was Natalie Portman.

So that part doesn't mean anything.

And even if you don't THINK you're superstitious, this day can still mess with your head. There's even a term for it in psychology: illusory correlation. That's our tendency to make connections between unrelated things or events.

So spilling coffee on yourself on your way to work gets blamed on it being an "unlucky day," and not on the pothole that's been on your street for weeks. Psychologists say that when life feels bad or chaotic, we look for something to blame. And superstition gives our brains that thing to blame.

But look at this face, this face isn't to blame for your bad luck. It's to blame for stinky poops she doesn't cover in the litter box. But that's it.

Rebehka Cramer

For what it's worth, the few studies that have looked at stuff like accidents haven't found any significant trends to suggest Friday the 13th is more dangerous than other Fridays.

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So have a good Friday, and don't worry about the cracks in the sidewalk.

Superstitionally yours,
Behka

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