Friday the 13th Superstitions Estimated to Cost $1 Billion in Lost Commerce

Published at 4:50 am, February 13, 2015

EastIdahoNews.com Staff

Stockbyte/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — You needn’t be reminded that it’s Friday the 13th but it may be helpful to know that there are two more Friday the 13ths in 2015. Flip the calendar to March and November if you don’t believe it.

Be that as it may, you’ll hear lot of reports today about superstitions and paraskevidekatriaphobia — the fear of this particular day — but might not know about the economic cost to the nation, which is an estimated $1 billion in lost commerce.

How could this be? As the Stress Management Center and Phobia Institute reports, between 17 and 21 million Americans are actually spooked by Friday the 13th and many of them won’t leave the house, which means they’re not spending much money.

That’s not such a good thing with Valentine’s Day on Saturday.

Another phenomenon about Friday the 13th, according to a study published 20 years ago in the British Medical Journal, is that the risk of traffic accidents is 52 percent higher compared to other Fridays. This actually might have to do with drivers using an abundance of caution rather than driving recklessly.

SUBMIT A CORRECTION