Many people around the world have a terrible fear of a Friday that falls on13th. Psychologists have named this fear Paraskavedekatriaphobia. Those people who suffer with the fear of Fridays that falls on 13th are called the sufferers of Paraskavedekatriaphobia by the psychologists. Paraskavedekatriaphobia has been derived from two Greek words Paraskevi and dekatries meaning Friday and thirteen respectively. The word was derived in 1911 and it was first published in 1953 in a mainstream communication medium.
Many people around have the fear of Friday which falling on 13th. They believe that a Friday which has the date 13 would bring them bad luck. This fear and the phobia have a history too. According to a folk story which has been passed from generation to generation through oral traditions, the fear and the superstition is a merger of two old superstitions. According to these theorists, Paraskavedekatriaphobia is fear which has developed due to the superstitious belief that since 13 is an unlucky number and Friday is an unlucky day so every Friday which has the date 13 will also be awfully unlucky. But does Paraskavedekatriaphobia have any social impact? Yes, it does. According to the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute in North Carolina, almost 17 to 21 million people in United States are suffering from this fear and hence as a result the businesses in America suffers as people do not travel or do corporate deals on the Fridays which falls on 13th. Donald Dossey of the Phobia institute told that estimates of $800 – $900 million are lost in business.
How to get away from Paraskavedekatriaphobia?
Donald Dossey says that we should focus on the positive things which happened on such Fridays instead of looking back on bad things and getting afraid of them.
Paraskavedekatriaphobia
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