Friday the 13th Isn’t Cursed, But Your Brain Might Be

Psstttt. Today is Friday the 13th! *Cue obnoxious gasp here* Today is a day where El Pasoans will blame everything that goes wrong on the fact that today is Friday the 13th.

I woke up this morning and had a bloody nose and you better believe I blamed it all on Friday the 13th and not on the fact that it’s probably because it was so hot and dry in my room.

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 Why Friday the 13th Messes With Your Head—Even If You Swear You’re Not Superstitious

Even if you’re one of those people who say “I’m not superstitious, just a little stitious,” chances are this eerie date is still lowkey messing with your brain.

According to psychologists, there’s this thing called illusory correlation—basically, your brain loves making connections between things that aren’t actually connected. So when you spill your iced coffee all over your jeans on the way to work? Yup, “It’s Friday the 13th, of course this would happen.” 

Experts say when life feels chaotic or just plain annoying, our brains crave someone or something to blame. Enter: superstition. It gives us a mental scapegoat that makes us feel like we’ve got it all figured out—even if the universe is just being a jerk for no reason.

And despite the hype, science says Friday the 13th isn’t actually more dangerous than your average Friday. Studies haven’t found any wild spike in accidents or bad luck. So maybe you’re late to work because of your own fault!

Whether you're avoiding ladders or walking under black cats backwards, remember that your luck isn’t tied to the calendar. But maybe keep that iced coffee sealed... just in case.