# Does the number thirteen bother you? How much? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 10, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095 "2012-08-10T15:58:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/1 "2012-08-10T15:58:34Z")
Cecil’s Column. Fear of the number 13 is very old and real. > **[Why is the number 13 considered unlucky?](https://www.straightdope.com/21341845/why-is-the-number-13-considered-unlucky)** I don’t like the number 13. I wouldn’t live on the thirteenth floor of a building. I wouldn’t visit a doctor or dentist that had offices on the thirteenth floor. I do go to work on Friday the 13th. But, don’t like traveling any great distance on Friday the 13th. If possible, I’d reschedule a trip for another day. I’m not pathological about it. If my boss sends me on a plane for a computer conference, then I’ll go on the 13th. But, will buy travel insurance and say a few prayers. How about you? Fess up. 😛 WTF are we going to do about 2013? Me? I will always refer to it as 2013. **Never** as the year 13. Anyway 2013 isn’t evenly divided by 13. That’s a relief. ---
**Author:** ![PandaBear77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@PandaBear77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PandaBear77)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/2 "2012-08-10T16:04:58Z")
Nope, doesn’t bother me. I hate all numbers. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/3 "2012-08-10T16:12:05Z")
Doesn’t bother me a bit. Give me room 13 on the 13th floor on the 13th of any month and pay me $113K to throw a 13th birthday party for 13 kids and I’ll be there. ---
**Author:** ![Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/58956e/32.png) [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emtar_KronJonDerSohn)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/4 "2012-08-10T16:12:17Z")
I like primes and squares. 13 is prime. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/5 "2012-08-10T16:13:04Z")
No. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/6 "2012-08-10T16:14:31Z")
It’s a number. Just like 666, etc. I do like me some 420 though. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/7 "2012-08-10T16:19:45Z")
You guys should have booked seats on Apollo 13. 😃 NASA was laughing at the superstition too. Right up until that astronaut flipped the switch to stir up the cryo tanks. At least I don’t worry about cracks on the sidewalk or ladders. Most superstitions I totally ignore. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/8 "2012-08-10T16:36:10Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > It’s a number. Just like 666, etc. I do like me some 420 though. LOL - this \ ---
**Author:** ![Lanzy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/74df32/32.png) [@Lanzy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lanzy)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/9 "2012-08-10T16:42:21Z")
Bakers dozen is a good thing. ---
**Author:** ![Balance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Balance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balance)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/10 "2012-08-10T16:45:29Z")
It doesn’t bother me a bit. It’s not my favorite number, but that’s not its fault–I just like pi. It’s an irrational preference. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/11 "2012-08-10T16:52:54Z")
In America, 13 is a Lucky number. This is why in the Winchester Mystery House e.g. you have a lot of 13’s. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/12 "2012-08-10T17:34:41Z")
It’s just a number. Who cares? ---
**Author:** ![papergirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/aca169/32.png) [@papergirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/papergirl)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/13 "2012-08-10T17:51:53Z")
It doesn’t bother me at all, but when I worked in surgery in the hospital, we had 13 surgical suites–and they were numbered 1-12, and 31. The “31” was a paper sign taped over the orignal “13.” No one would admit to being superstitious; everyone blamed another group of medical people for it. ---
**Author:** ![Red\_Wiggler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/red_wiggler/32/13190_2.png) [@Red\_Wiggler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Red_Wiggler)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/14 "2012-08-10T17:59:07Z")
In my youth, it was always the jersey number I requested. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/15 "2012-08-10T18:11:58Z")
It concerns me a lot, because it is my “lucky” number. ---
**Author:** ![Sr\_Siete](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Sr\_Siete](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sr_Siete)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/16 "2012-08-10T18:15:35Z")
Just the opposite, like Emtar, I like primes. ---
**Author:** ![apollonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@apollonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apollonia)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/17 "2012-08-10T18:40:06Z")
I won’t fly on the 13th (willingly), nor on the 13th row of a plane/bus/train. I wouldn’t live on the 13th floor, buy a house numbered 13, or rent apartment number 13, if I had any other option. I am especially wary of scheduling anything important (medical procedures, dental procedures, airplane flights, etc.) on a Friday the 13th. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/18 "2012-08-10T18:51:24Z")
Friday the 13th? Bah! If Walt Kelley were still with us, he would not fail to remind us that Friday the 13th falls on a Monday this month! If I may take in vain the name of another Straight Dope contributor: Rowrrbazzle! ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/19 "2012-08-10T19:07:31Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > In America, 13 is a Lucky number. This is why in the Winchester Mystery House e.g. you have a lot of 13’s. For every American who considers it lucky, there are 99 who consider it unlucky. I wouldn’t, say, buy a condo on the 13th floor because I would be worried about superstition affecting resale. Otherwise I don’t care. I don’t have a bad luck wind blowin’ on my back. I greet every Friday 13th with: “Bwuh? That’s today?” ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [August 10, 2012, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095/20 "2012-08-10T19:12:32Z")
As someone who was born on Friday the 13th, I can honestly say the number doesn’t bother me at all. The rest of you, however, should be VERY worried… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-the-number-thirteen-bother-you-how-much/631095.md?page=2)