Deaths Up on Friday the 13th--But Not Why You Think
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women may be more likely to die from traffic accidents on Fridays that fall on the 13th of the month than on other Fridays, according to an analysis of all traffic deaths in Finland.
The same pattern did not appear in men, however, who were no more likely to die from a traffic accident on Friday the 13th than on other Fridays, reports study author Dr. Simo Nayha of the University of Oulu in Finland.
Dr. Stuart A. Vyse of Connecticut College in New London, who reviewed the study for Reuters Health, cautioned that the reason for the increase in deaths among women cannot be blamed on the fact that Friday the 13th, as superstition holds, is an ill-fated day.
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Rather, he said, previous studies have shown that women tend to be more superstitious than men. And the superstition that something bad will happen on that day may make some women more anxious than men, impairing their driving and actually causing what they feared most.
In fact, these results demonstrate the harm that can result from believing Friday the 13th is an unlucky day, Vyse noted.
The increase in traffic deaths among women on Friday the 13th "is a clear negative effect of having been taught these kinds of superstitions," Vyse said. "And here, it looks like it can kill you, if this is true."
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Study author Nayha told Reuters Health that Vyse's proposal that the increase in deaths is due to anxiety may, in fact, be correct, but cautioned that the current study did not measure whether people felt more anxiety on the 13th as opposed to other Fridays. That said, the researcher said there was "no reason to believe" that the increase in deaths is directly due to the fact that Friday the 13th is considered to be an unlucky day.
Nayha obtained the current study findings by reviewing national files cataloguing the day people died and the cause of death for Fridays between 1971 and 1997. The researcher discovered that men's deaths did not appear to increase on the 13th as opposed to other Fridays, but, in women, the risk of traffic deaths was 63% higher on those supposedly unlucky days compared with other Fridays. The researcher took into account weather condition and other factors that may have affected the results.
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Overall, 82 men and 41 women died on Friday the 13ths and 2,423 men and 789 women died on other Fridays, according to the report in the December issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Some might argue that the increases in traffic deaths on Friday the 13th happen because of the ill-fated nature of the day, as the superstition indicates, but Vyse said that, if that were true, he would expect to see a similar increase in deaths among men.
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"If Friday the 13th were a bad day, it'd be a bad day for everyone," he said.
Some superstitions appear harmless, Vyse noted--such as believing in good luck from a four-leaf clover or a shooting star--but those that suggest harm or bad luck can often have dire consequences, as the current study demonstrates.
The best way to protect people from creating a self-fulfilling prophecy around unlucky days, Vyse said, is to not pass these superstitions onto others, and to try to reason with people who already believe them. "One thing is to not teach your children these superstitions, and to try to challenge those that hold them," he suggested.
SOURCE: American Journal of Psychiatry 2002;159:2110-2111., 百拇医药
The same pattern did not appear in men, however, who were no more likely to die from a traffic accident on Friday the 13th than on other Fridays, reports study author Dr. Simo Nayha of the University of Oulu in Finland.
Dr. Stuart A. Vyse of Connecticut College in New London, who reviewed the study for Reuters Health, cautioned that the reason for the increase in deaths among women cannot be blamed on the fact that Friday the 13th, as superstition holds, is an ill-fated day.
, 百拇医药
Rather, he said, previous studies have shown that women tend to be more superstitious than men. And the superstition that something bad will happen on that day may make some women more anxious than men, impairing their driving and actually causing what they feared most.
In fact, these results demonstrate the harm that can result from believing Friday the 13th is an unlucky day, Vyse noted.
The increase in traffic deaths among women on Friday the 13th "is a clear negative effect of having been taught these kinds of superstitions," Vyse said. "And here, it looks like it can kill you, if this is true."
, http://www.100md.com
Study author Nayha told Reuters Health that Vyse's proposal that the increase in deaths is due to anxiety may, in fact, be correct, but cautioned that the current study did not measure whether people felt more anxiety on the 13th as opposed to other Fridays. That said, the researcher said there was "no reason to believe" that the increase in deaths is directly due to the fact that Friday the 13th is considered to be an unlucky day.
Nayha obtained the current study findings by reviewing national files cataloguing the day people died and the cause of death for Fridays between 1971 and 1997. The researcher discovered that men's deaths did not appear to increase on the 13th as opposed to other Fridays, but, in women, the risk of traffic deaths was 63% higher on those supposedly unlucky days compared with other Fridays. The researcher took into account weather condition and other factors that may have affected the results.
, http://www.100md.com
Overall, 82 men and 41 women died on Friday the 13ths and 2,423 men and 789 women died on other Fridays, according to the report in the December issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.
Some might argue that the increases in traffic deaths on Friday the 13th happen because of the ill-fated nature of the day, as the superstition indicates, but Vyse said that, if that were true, he would expect to see a similar increase in deaths among men.
, 百拇医药
"If Friday the 13th were a bad day, it'd be a bad day for everyone," he said.
Some superstitions appear harmless, Vyse noted--such as believing in good luck from a four-leaf clover or a shooting star--but those that suggest harm or bad luck can often have dire consequences, as the current study demonstrates.
The best way to protect people from creating a self-fulfilling prophecy around unlucky days, Vyse said, is to not pass these superstitions onto others, and to try to reason with people who already believe them. "One thing is to not teach your children these superstitions, and to try to challenge those that hold them," he suggested.
SOURCE: American Journal of Psychiatry 2002;159:2110-2111., 百拇医药