Paraskevidekatriaphobia- A Phobia That Some Will Experience Today

The superstition surrounding Friday the 13th is actually a combination of two separate fears- the fear of the number 13, called triskaidekaphobia, and the fear of Fridays. The fear of Friday the 13th, is called paraskevidekatriaphobia and is also known as friggatriskaidekaphobia.friday-the-13th-the-final-chapter-part-4-movie-poster

When I think of today’s date, I think of one of my favourite horror film franchises (with Friday the 13th Part IV: The Final Chapter being my favourite of the series).

However, for others there is a fear of today’s date that appears ingrained in Western culture. As Stuart Vyse (A Professor of Psychology) suggests “If nobody bothered to teach us about these negative taboo superstitions like Friday the 13th, we might in fact all be better off.”

Simply put, this is just a number and just a day like most other days and any superstitious belief or fear is a cognitive thought process that is irrational. The fear here is that of expectation and so is a ‘cognitive bias’. People who have a fear of the day would be very aware of all the negative things that occurred on Friday the 13th but would be less inclined to note the positives. People pass on their belief to others and associate negative aspects to this day; superstition is further perpetuated through the media.

So don’t fret too much, the day will be like any other, bad things and good things and everything in-between will occur in the world. To pass the time maybe, you could also watch some Jason Voorhees down at Camp Crystal Lake!

1 Comment

  1. riversofgrue

    The Final Chapter is my favorite of the series too. Snap my friend, great call!

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