El miedo irracional e intenso al número 13 —triskaidekafobia— ha las orígenes 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.
Los desarrolladores a menudo omitir 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.
Líneas aéreas, incluidas RyanAir, Air France, Singapore Airlines y Qatar Airlines, también pasan por alto el número 13 para atender a los viajeros inquietos cuya ansiedad podría verse agravada por una desafortunada asignación de asiento. Los datos sugieren que los vuelos del Reino Unido a Europa son aproximadamente un 39% más baratos el viernes 13. Este día puede ser especialmente desafiante para quienes padecen triskaidecafobia y, de hecho, este miedo combinado tiene nombre propio: paraskevidekatriafobia. El miedo al viernes 13, que es difícil de pronunciar, se registró por primera vez en el siglo XIX y las teorías sobre su génesis varían enormemente.
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 La Oficina 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.
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