The irrational and intense fear of the number 13 —triskaidekaphobia — has origins stretching back into antiquity. Its roots are murky and mythical, and the superstition shrouding this number has not lessened with time. There isn’t a great way to quantify how many people around the world suffer from this affliction, but the phenomenon is cemented into popular culture, even impacting business decisions.
Developers often omit a building’s 13th floor with the help of the elevator system. Commonly, 13 is simply skipped over on the elevator panel; pushbuttons go from 12 to 14 in hopes of preventing disquieted tenants or residents. To avoid inconsistencies or confusion in an emergency scenario, the 13th floor is sometimes renamed 12A. This approach leaves the higher floors unaffected — an important safety consideration. Other options include designating the 13th floor as something besides a working or living space, for example, using it to house amenities or mechanical equipment.
Airlines, including RyanAir, Air France, Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airlines, also gloss over the number 13 to cater to uneasy flyers whose anxiety could be compounded by an unfortunate seat assignment. Data suggests that flights from the U.K. to Europe are approximately 39% cheaper on Friday the 13th. This day can be especially challenging for those with triskaidekaphobia and, in fact, this combined fear has a name of its own: paraskevidekatriaphobia. A mouthful to pronounce, the fear of Friday the 13th was first recorded in the 19th century and theories concerning its genesis vary wildly.
While it’s undisputed that these phobias have a weighty impact on those who live with them, it’s unclear just how many people are affected. This lack of data poses an interesting question about whether avoidance of the number 13 in tall buildings and on airplanes is warranted from an economic standpoint. Would enough buyers refuse to live in 13th-floor condos to impact a developer’s bottom line? What about those with more ambivalent feelings about the number? (A line from U.S. television show The Office comes to mind, “I’m not superstitious, but I am a little ‘stitous.”) Maybe the mindset of decision-makers avoiding the number 13 could be summed up with a quick proverb: better safe than sorry.
Image by John Hain from Pixabay
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