So, it’s Friday the 13th — cue the spooky music. If you find yourself scanning for black cats or skipping sidewalk cracks, you might have triskaidekaphobia… yep, fear of the number 13. Millions do. In fact, some folks even stay home today. Ironically, research says we’re actually safer on Friday the 13th, probably because everyone’s driving like it’s their driver’s test.
Anthropologist Dr. Phil Stevens says it all boils down to “magical thinking” — our brain linking things that don’t actually relate. The number 13 plus a Friday? Bad luck by association. Biblical, too — Jesus had 13 at the table before being crucified on a Friday. Double whammy.
Stevens also says superstitions aren’t going anywhere. Magical thinking, lucky charms, all of it helps us feel some control in a world that rarely makes sense. So if you’re knocking on wood or giving ladders a wide berth today, don’t sweat it. You’re not weird — you’re just wonderfully, superstitiously human.
Source: USA Today