It's Friday the 13th!! If you're uneasy today, listen up. I've got a list of five things science says about you if you have some fears about today's date on the calendar...
1. Your fear has a name. The fear of Friday the 13th is called friggatriskaidekaphobia. And if you're afraid of the number 13 in general, that's triskaidekaphobia.
2. You might be scared about what you can't control. That's why so many people alter their plans today, to try to avoid being unlucky.
3. If you're a little on edge today, you're normal. Having a ritual like not walking under a ladder or avoiding black cats today is silly (I have a black cat... it's a little hard for me to avoid that one) . . . but it's probably not indicative of any sort of mental illness.
4. If you're SUPER anxious though, it could be a problem. If you stay in bed all day in fear that anything you do will be cursed, there might be some deeper issues at play.
5. You're disrupting the economy. It's estimated that around $900 MILLION is lost in business every Friday the 13th . . . from all the people who decide not to fly, go to work, or leave their house at all.
(Reader's Digest / National Geographic)