If you were watching for black cats, broken mirrors and ladders today, you’re not alone. The superstition that surrounds Friday the 13th for many is very real.
- Superstition dates back years
- Superstitious beliefs around "13" culturally embedded
- Connection to Pygmalion Effect?
“It kind of trickles down. When you see someone who takes it so seriously, you kind of wonder a little bit if there’s something to it," said Nick Dancaescu. He said that his Eastern European family are adamant in their belief that the thirteenth is associated with bad luck.
“Sometimes he’ll stay home on the thirteenth and things like that, just 'why take a chance?' is his position on things," he said of his father. “If you anticipate something bad happening, you might be putting yourself out there in that regard.”
Valencia College Dean of Social Sciences and Psychology professor, Dr. Lee Thomas, said there's a name for that: the Pygmalion Effect.
“And when it comes around every year, you start dreading it and it becomes the Pygmalion Effect, a self-fulfilling prophecy of a bad day because you expect it to be a bad day," said Thomas. “I think a lot of people are superstitious about Friday the 13th and they really don’t know why.”
In fact, the superstition dates back centuries, with some pointing to biblical times.
From building elevators skipping over floor 13 to airlines not having a 13th row on their planes, superstition about the number 13 has become deeply-embedded in our society.
“A lot of that depends on your culture and who you are, and where you’re from and how you got up that morning," said Thomas.
One area in which the superstition prevails prominently is in scheduling of nuptials. Lori Messina said her downtown Orlando venues, The Mezz and Abbey, are booked for weddings most every Friday and Saturday night---just not when the date happens to fall on Friday the 13th.
“In the past few years, we’ve actually only had one wedding on Friday the 13th, so it seems as people deter from that date," said Messina.
Negative experiences on past Friday the 13ths also affect one's perception of the day, said Thomas. So, if you can push past strong beliefs rooted in magic, myth or irrational thoughts, you might just turn it around.
“My associations that I’d had in my lifetime are very positive for Friday the 13th, so like today, I’ll probably go out and buy a lottery ticket," said Thomas.