Friday, April 13, 2012

Paraskevidekatriaphobia

Paraskevidekatriaphobia —  a morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th.
Friday the 13th, 'the most widespread superstition!!
Is Friday the 13th a day  fraught with peril??
The sixth day of the week (Friday) and the number 13 both have foreboding reputations said to date from ancient times. It seems their inevitable conjunction from one to three times a year (there will be three such occurrences in 2012, exactly 13 weeks apart) sugests more misfortune than some credulous minds can bear.  Friday the 13th bringing bad luck may be the most widespread superstition in the United States today.  People may refuse to go to work on Friday the 13th; or  eat in restaurants; many wouldn't think of setting a wedding for Friday the 13th. 
 According to Dr. Donald Dossey, a psychotherapist specializing in the treatment of phobias (and coiner of the term paraskevidekatriaphobia,) the number of americans suffereing from this condition at the beginning of the 21st century may be as high as 21 million or about  8% of the population.
Exactly how old is difficult to say, because determining the origins of superstitions is an inexact science, at best. In fact, it's mostly guesswork.
But Please, Have A Good Day!

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