Irrational fear of the number 13, associated with religious prejudices and having a mystical nature of origin, is a mild mental disorder. Mental disorders associated with the number 13 appeared many centuries ago; historians claim that the first mentions of them were found during pagan times.
Such scientifically unfounded fear can complicate a person’s life and lead to the emergence of similar phobias and the development of some dangerous diseases (for example, stroke or heart attack).
Therefore, it is important to promptly recognize the signs of panic fears and, by choosing the appropriate treatment method, get rid of them.
Scientific name of phobia
Triskaidekaphobia from the ancient Greek words τρεισκαίδεκα - thirteen and φόβος - fear, means a painful dislike of the number 13. There is also a synonym terdekaphobia. Oddly enough, it was this superstitious fear that took shape into a phobia with a separate name, although there are many more fears, equally irrational, passed on from generation to generation. Unfortunately, our society, for the most part, is not accustomed to think critically, and therefore the number of prejudices is enormous.
It is worth noting that in rare cases, highly educated, intelligent people also suffer from triskaidekaphobia. The explanation here may be as follows: internal contradictions tear a person apart, but have no way out. He is constantly in an anxious state, and this is extremely draining on the psyche. To save herself, she unconsciously “chooses” a way to control her condition, for example, by avoiding the number 13. They offered a ticket for the 13th seat on the train, but the person refused and asked for 14 - and that’s it, now he is calm. The meeting was supposed to be on the 13th, but he rescheduled it and now thinks that the result will be better, the anxiety has decreased.
Manifestations
Fear of the number 13 manifests itself as irrational avoidance. In extreme cases, if it cannot be avoided, a terdekaphobe may feel physical discomfort, even nausea, due to increased anxiety. This phobia is especially widespread in the West, in America and Germany. But it is worth noting that excessive concern for people who actually suffer from phobias (there are not very many of them) contributes to the emergence of unnecessary prejudices among others.
In the States, many hotel-type establishments prefer not to number 13 floors and rooms. To do this, use the designation 12A, or behind the 12th button in the elevator, the next one is the 14th. Naturally, this forms certain stereotypes in children, which can develop into superstitions and, to an extreme extent, into a phobia of the number 13.
Well-known triskaidekaphobes, for example, Angel Nieto (Spanish motorcycle racer, 13-time world champion) preferred to say that he had 12+1 victories in world championships, and Arnold Schoenberg (Austrian composer) made a deliberate mistake in the title of his last opera, just for the number the letters did not equal thirteen.
As for Schoenberg, his life was simply a classic example. He was born on September 13, was madly afraid of his 76th birthday because the sum of the numbers is 13, and died on July 13, exactly when he was 76. According to legend, he had a premonition of death all day and died 13 minutes before the 14th. . What is this, no matter how mystical! If you think a little, it is not difficult to understand that there was probably more than one Schoenberg who was born and died on the 13th of the month at the age of 76. However, the composer's prejudice regarding the number 13 helped to form a legend that sinks into the soul of every suspicious person.
A superstitious person will do everything possible to avoid walking under the stairs, breaking a mirror, or meeting a black cat along the way. But if this can still be avoided somehow, then in life there are things that are sure to happen. We are talking about the number 13. Since time immemorial, this number has been synonymous with failure, and nothing good awaits everything that intersects with it. But why does the number 13 have such a reputation?
We find the first mention of this prejudice in Scandinavian mythology. According to legend, 12 gods were invited to a feast in Valhalla (similar to the Last Supper - the last meal of Jesus Christ and the 12 apostles), but the god of wrath, Loki, got angry because he was not invited, and managed to sneak into the celebration, becoming 13 m according to the account. This led to disastrous consequences for the Scandinavian Olympus: a war broke out, as a result of which everyone’s favorite Balder died. After this, it was believed that the number 13 was a bad omen.
The next evidence that has come down to us dates back to the 18th century BC. and comes from ancient Babylon - the birthplace of the Code of Hammurabi. This is the first known written code of law and the first written confirmation of the fear of the number 13, as this number is omitted throughout the text: Hammurabi believed that it portends misfortune.
In Ancient Egypt, in turn, the number 13 meant “death,” which was embodied in the Tarot deck, where card XIII signifies demise. According to the myths about the god Ra, the soul must go through 13 stages of its development: 12 during life and the last, 13th, after death.
Christianity also reflects the bad reputation attached to the “cursed” number 13. According to the New Testament, 13 guests were present at the Last Supper: 12 apostles and Jesus Christ. He was subsequently captured and sentenced to death due to the fault of one of those who were at that last meal: Judas, guest number 13, who was not supposed to be there.
In addition to these scientific justifications, empirical phenomena are added to the list of bad omens. Many people remember the famous phrase: “Houston, we have a problem.” This was said during the unsuccessful mission of the American spacecraft Apollo 13 to the Moon, which almost crashed. The number 13 appears not only in the name of the mission, the spacecraft launched at 13:13.
Friday the 13th: history
Der Spiegel 05/06/2017 Delfi.lt 01/20/2017 SIDE3 01/15/2017 El Mundo 01/15/2017 Slate.fr 11/14/2015 Obviously, superstitious people have many reasons to fear the number 13. But where did the fear of Friday the 13th come from? This time we find an explanation in history: in a real “witch hunt”, in the persecution of representatives of the Templar Order by the Inquisition of the Catholic Church. On Friday, October 13, 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the arrest and burning at the stake of all the Knights of the Templar Order accused of heresy and sodomy. This event, which became one of the black pages in the history of France, is the first in a series of accidents that surround all Fridays on which the 13th falls with a gloomy halo.
Cinema added fuel to the fire. The killer maniac from the Friday the 13th film series, Jason Voorhess, was born on Friday the 13th. This series is not the only one to use the number 13; it appears in the titles of other films, such as 13 Ghosts.
Triskaidekaphobia, fear of the number 13
The number 13 is truly ostracized in hotels, bus routes, and restaurants. According to a study conducted by Kiwi.com, Spaniards are buying 10% fewer air tickets with a departure date of Friday 13th. This is typical not only for Spain, but also for other countries. In Sweden, South Korea and France, 29.2%, 9.17% and 6% fewer air tickets are purchased on such dates, respectively.
The fear of traveling on the 13th or staying in a hotel room on the 13th is so great that it has a special name: triskaidekaphobia.
This unpronounceable term is used not only in relation to travel, but also in Formula 1 competitions, as well as in motoring circles in general, where they try to avoid this number. For example, the Spanish racer Angel Nieto became world champion 12 +1 times. There is no bus route 13 in Madrid.
Many hotels often lack the 13th floor and room number 13. The same thing happens in many restaurants where there are no tables under number 13. In France this goes even further. The number 13 is not used in this country even when numbering houses.
In Spain, some lottery organizers do not indicate the number 13 on lottery tickets, and in Italy it is prohibited at the state level to sell tickets with this number.
Reverse side of the coin
The number 13, which inspires anxiety and is relegated to the background, has become a kind of “outcast” among other numbers. But many people don’t know that this number can also be lucky. For example, in the United States, 13 is considered a number that brings good luck and is present on a number of national symbols, including the back of the dollar bill, which depicts a 13-story pyramid, an eagle holding an olive branch with 13 leaves. Above the eagle's head are 13 stars, symbolizing the 13 colonies that the country originally consisted of, making the number 13 synonymous with success.
The number 13 brought happiness not only to the United States. On January 13, 1969, The Beatles released one of their most successful albums, Yellow Submarine. On the 13th, the favorite of all children, Mickey Mouse, was born. On Tuesday the 13th, the world experienced one of the most significant manifestations of pacifism: the reunification of East and West Germany. In addition, 13 muscles are used when smiling.
InoSMI materials contain assessments exclusively of foreign media and do not reflect the position of the InoSMI editorial staff.
Causes
Triskaidekaphobia is a religious prejudice, however, the reasons for its occurrence have not yet been clearly elucidated. Most often among the versions, a biblical story is recalled that describes the last meal of Jesus Christ - the Last Supper, at which Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed the teacher, sat thirteenth at the table.
In the 19th century in Europe there was a belief that if 13 people gathered at the dinner table, one of them would die within a year. After this, a tradition arose that involved inviting an additional fourteenth guest or even seating a mannequin at the table.
In addition, some argue that the fear of the number 13 is provoked only by the fact that the number is greater than 12, which is sacred to many religions. Hence the name “devil’s dozen”, which has a negative connotation. If we rely on Christianity, then there is a belief that the thirteenth angel is Lucifer. Norse mythology also gives some explanations for why the number 13 is "bad" - the thirteenth god in the pantheon was Loki, personifying deceit and cunning. In the realm of the occult, the symbolism of the number is also confirmed - the 13th Tarot card depicts “death”.
How to overcome your fear of the number 13
Despite the fact that the fear of the number 13 is called triskaidekaphobia, you need to start fighting it as with ordinary superstitions. And for this you need to develop, read books, travel, communicate with people who are smarter than you. The development of critical thinking comes with experience, knowledge, understanding and acceptance of pluralism.
If you want to get rid of your phobia of the number 13 and started by reading this article, then you are on the right track. Find out the maximum amount of information about your fear, understand the origins of the formation of prejudice. It often turns out that a person is susceptible to it simply because he is used to it. He had never thought about or explained to himself the reason in his life. By thinking that there is no reasonable evidence, you change your attitudes and gradually get rid of obsessive fear. Regulating your thinking is in your hands.
It is also important to understand that a Tricksydecaphobe sets himself up for negativity as soon as he encounters the number 13. He will definitely associate all his troubles on the 13th day of the month with the date, although he may not even attach any significance to troubles that happened on other days. The brain, alarmed by the painful anticipation of problems, will isolate even small negative events from the environment and skip the positive ones.
Psychologists recommend trying to consciously choose the number 13 in life for some time and monitoring what is happening. Stop reading at chapter 13, add 13 songs to the playlist, meet your neighbors from the 13th floor and go visit them. If you evaluate the events impartially, you will notice that no special troubles are happening to you in connection with this.
A frequent accompaniment of superstitions are rituals that seem to “cancel” the action of omens. If you know that you also have any rituals with your fear of 13, then it is worth considering whether this is a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder.
By and large, triskaidekaphobia rarely causes serious trouble for a person. Well, he won’t buy the 13th apartment, in the 13th building, on the 13th floor, if it makes him feel better. All these are not such oppressive prejudices. However, we mentioned at the beginning of the article that a pronounced fear of numbers, constantly seeing them everywhere: price tags, car license plates, house signs is a sign of neurosis. In this case, it is recommended to visit a psychologist to identify your internal problems and then get rid of them.
The fear of the number 13 and the mysterious and enigmatic phenomena associated with this number are described in the following video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdOitMTDchQ
Treatment
If a person experiences severe fear of the number 4, he needs the help of a professional. Not trying to cope with tetraphobia can have negative consequences on mental health, which should not be forgotten.
When developing such phobias, a psychotherapist offers treatment that teaches the patient to manage his own fear and increased emotionality. Due to this, a person will be able to improve the quality of his life.
Psychotherapy
During individual sessions, the doctor will try to convey to the patient that all his fears are completely unfounded
A phobia can be cured with psychotherapy. This treatment method offers many unique techniques that allow a person to get rid of the annoying fear of the number 4.
To understand which treatment option to offer a patient, a psychotherapist must first study in detail his problem and the cause of the disorder. Ignoring this point will not allow you to choose the most effective therapy.
Psychotherapeutic methods are primarily aimed at eliminating the root cause of mental disorder. The specialist conducts conversations with the patient, during which he explains to him the absurdity of tetraphobia and the fact that it does not pose any real threat to life.
Psychologists practice using visual methods to solve problems. They suggest drawing on paper a number that causes fear in the patient. The sheet is then cut or burned. Thus, a special ritual is performed that should help cope with the phobia.
Medication method
If psychotherapy does not yet help the patient cope with panic attacks at the sight of an irritant, the doctor will recommend taking medications.
Important! Only a specialist can prescribe medications for the treatment of tetraphobia. The patient should not choose his own medications and take them without the permission of a specialist.
For phobias, it is recommended to take sedatives. Antidepressants are also prescribed. If for a certain reason the patient is prohibited from taking medications, then he is offered the use of decoctions and teas based on medicinal plants with a sedative effect.
Other number phobias
Among other well-known fears of numerals, it is worth recalling hexakosiohexekontahexaphobia. This amazing word means fear of the number 666, also called the number of the beast. Just like the fear of 13, it is a religious prejudice characteristic of people who consider themselves Christians. In China, on the contrary, six is a “lucky” number, therefore three sixes do not frighten representatives of Eastern cultures at all. In Russia, there are known cases when, due to superstition among the masses, transport routes with the numbers 666 were canceled. In the occult environment, the number is actively used along with other satanic paraphernalia.
Tetraphobia is the fear of the number 4. This superstition, unlike those described above, is widespread in East Asia, and is practically absent in the West. The answer here is very simple - fear is associated with the similarity of the pronunciation of the Chinese character meaning four and death. Everything we said about the number 13 in the West (not using the 13th floor in hotels to accommodate guests, avoiding numbering on houses, etc.) is present in Eastern countries in relation to the number 4.
There is also the concept of arrhythmophobia, which means an anxious attitude towards any individually significant number.
Similar phobias
This is not the only phobia that is associated with numbers. A companion to triskaidekaphobia is friggatriskaidekaphobia - the fear of “Friday the thirteenth”. On this day, many people try in every possible way not to expose themselves to any external influences, not to solve important issues and not to take exams.
Tetraphobia - fear of 4. In Japan, China, Korea, four is very similar to the verb to die. For this reason, they avoid this number.
Hexakosioyhexekontahexaphobia - fear of 666. This number is called the “number of the beast”, which causes unpleasant emotions for many.
conclusions
Fear of the number 13 is irrational and unfounded, having its origins in religion and mythology. Like all superstitions, it arises from a lack of critical perception of information, however, it can also be a symptom of some psychological or even mental disorder. But most often the reason is that people tend to accept a variety of statements on faith without doubt. I would like to remember the above-mentioned Arnold Schoenberg - just think how many 13ths he lived through before he died on one of them!
In Southeast Asia
Due to the significant population and influence of Chinese culture, 4 is also considered unlucky in this region.
In buildings in Malaysia and Singapore, where the people of the Celestial Empire have a significant proportion of the population, where 25% of Malaysians and 75% of Singaporeans are Chinese, the number 4 is sometimes omitted.
Singaporean public transport operator SBS Transit has lowered the number plates for several of its vehicles ending in "4", due to this, if a vehicle is registered as SBS *** 3 *, the SBS *** 4 * is omitted and the next registered bus will be SBS *** 5 *. Note that this only applies to certain of them, not all, and that the trailing asterisk is a checksum letter, not a number. For example, if a machine is registered as SBS7533J, SBS7534G is eliminated and the next machine to be registered will be SBS7535D.
Singaporean public transport operator SMRT has dropped "4" as the first digit of the serial number of its train carriages, as well as its night vision service SMRT Buses.
Additionally, the Samudera LRT station was closed until 2020 because the code is a homonym for "death". The platform between Hillview and Beauty World also missed a number which is the MRT Central Line.
In Vietnam, the Sino-Vietnamese "four" (TU) is used more in formal contexts than in everyday life and its pronounced sound is clearly different from the word for "death" (TU). Chu Nom "BON" is equivalent to "TU" is often used, so the number 4 is difficult to avoid. Despite this, in the past, Vietnamese people often called their babies "tư" or "tứ", which means "the fourth child born in the family."
