The Fear of Friday the 13!

Just like crossing paths with a black cat or breaking a mirror, many people hold fast to the belief that Friday the 13th brings bad luck! Nearly 8% of people in the United States are Paraskevidekatriaphobics.

People with this phobia often refuse to leave their homes on this day. (They even avoid important tasks like going to the doctor’s, or to work etc). They display signs of extreme anxiety or nervousness as the date approaches. Often they believe that something terrible or evil is going to happen. 

Some have suggested they also have roots in Christian tradition: Just as Jesus was crucified on a Friday, Friday was also said to be the day Eve gave Adam the fateful apple from the Tree of Knowledge, as well as the day Cain killed his brother, Abel.

The seating arrangement at the Last Supper is believed to have given rise to a longstanding Christian superstition that having 13 guests at a table was a bad omen—specifically, that it was courting death.

Symptoms of phobia of Friday the 13th can vary from person to person. Some tend to get hysterical or nervous; still others might have a full blown anxiety or panic attack. 

Others include; Refusing to leave the home on this day. Finding excuses, crying, screaming, trying to flee etc. Indulging in ritualistic behavior- for example, hanging shoes outside the window to repel evil, or eating garlic, or walking around the room 13 times etc may be seen . Thoughts of death or dying might continually play through the phobic’s mind.

Does Friday 13th make you freak out?