![]() ![]() Superstition in a social group – fear of 13, walking under ladders, not stepping onĪ crack, knocking on wood, etc. – to make fears coalesce around a particular harmless number. Then there are the potent effects of social influences. Once locked in, such beliefs are very hard to shake. For example, havingĪ car accident during a full moon, or on a Friday the 13th, makes the event seem all Still, when people are looking to confirm their beliefs, they are prone to infer connections between unrelated factors. In “full moon effects.” Beliefs that the full moon influences mental health, crime rates, accidents and other human calamities haveīeen thoroughly debunked. People also may assign dark attributes to 13 for the same reason that many believe To associate 13 with negative attributes. Unfamiliarity won’t cause a phobia, but psychological research shows that we favor what is familiar and disfavor what is not. ![]() There’s no 13th month, 13-inch ruler, or 13 o'clock. Part of 13’s reputation may be connected to a feeling of unfamiliarity, or “ felt sense of anomaly,” as it is called in the psychological literature. Having a more sensitive personality and being exposed to others with phobias. Other risk factors for developing a phobia include being very young, having relatives with phobias, They can arise fromĭirect negative experiences – fearing bees after being stung by one, for example. There are many kinds of specific phobias, and people hold them for a variety of psychological reasons. There is even a word for an intense fear of 666: hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia. And though 666 is considered lucky in China, manyĬhristians around the world associate it with an evil beast described in the biblicalīook of Revelation. Life than 13 is in Western culture – including a willingness to pay higher fees to avoid it in cellphone numbers. In China, 4 sounds like “death” and is more actively avoided in everyday In Japan, 9 is unlucky, probably because it sounds similar to the Japanese word for “suffering.” In Italy, it’s 17. When the conditions are favorable, a rumor or superstition generates its own social reality, snowballing like an urban legend Universal Historyīut the truth is, sociocultural processes can associate bad luck with any number. The Last Supper, a 15th-century mural painting in Milan created by Leonardo da Vinci. The apostle who betrayed Jesus - was the 13th guest at the Last Supper. He tricked another attendee into killing the god Baldur. In Norse mythology, the god Loki was 13th to arrive at a feast in Valhalla, where The number 13 may be associated with some famous but undesirable dinner guests. Thirteen contrasts with this sense of goodness and perfection. That 12 often represents “completeness”: the number of months in the year, gods on Olympus, signs of the zodiac and apostles That scientifically examines controversial and extraordinary claims. Joe Nickell investigates paranormal claims for the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry, a nonprofit The historical explanation may be as simple as its chance juxtaposition with luckyġ2. The source of 13’s bad reputation – “triskaidekaphobia” – is murky and speculative. Misconception to the extent that it affects behavior on a broad scale. What fascinates me is when millions of people share the same Of course bad things do sometimes happen on that date, but there’s no evidence they do so disproportionately.Īs a sociologist specializing in social psychology and group processes, I’m not so interested in individualįears and obsessions. Many Westerners alter their behaviors on Friday the 13th. Six other buildings pretend to not have one, skipping right to 14. That’s how many Americans admit it would bother them to stay on one particular floor in high-rise hotels: theĪccording to the Otis Elevator Co., for every building with a floor numbered “13,” But what if, in just myĬountry alone, more than 40 million people shared the same baseless aversion? ![]() It’s highly unusual to fear 22 – so, yes, it would be appropriate to see me as a bit odd. ![]() How about if I lobbied the homeowner association in my high-rise condo to skip theĢ2nd floor, jumping from the 21st to 23rd? Would you think it weird if I refused to travel on Sundays that fall on the 22nd day Posted on: JanuUpdated on: January 9, 2023ĭistinguished professor emeritus of sociology Barry Markovsky writes for The ConversationĪbout the superstition around the number 13. Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.Library Annex and Conservation Facility.College of Information and Communications.College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management. ![]()
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