Community Corner

What Does Friday The 13th Mean To You?

The fear of Friday 13th itself is even more unpronounceable: "paraskevidekatriaphobia."

 

TGIF, Renton!

It’s Friday the 13th. Does the date mean anything to you, or is this ‘superstitious’ day just like any other?

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For those of you who cringe at the number 13 or the possibility of a day filled with bad luck and unfortunate circumstatnces, you’re not alone.

There is actually a scientific term for the fear of the number 13.

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Psychologists call it “triskaidekaphobia.” The fear of Friday 13th itself is even more unpronounceable: “paraskevidekatriaphobia.”

Snopes.com has an interesting history about the origins of the day.

Those with a superstitious tendency may want to take the day off, lest their fear get the better of them. Anxious individuals may also want to avoid roads, ladders and black cats. There’s a good chance some people you know—or you yourself—are a little bit more wary today.

Wikipedia reports that, according to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in Asheville, NC, an estimated 17 to 21 million people in the U.S. are affected by “paraskevidekatriaphobia.”

There will one more chance to experience Friday the 13th in 2012 in July.


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