By Dave Sikula Fri, November 13, 2009, 12:01 am PST

Seriously, does this kitty look like bad luck? (Photo by Adhi Rachdian) Today is Friday the 13th, which is supposed to be an unlucky day. Why this is, no one is exactly sure. There are plenty of theories, ranging from the numerological to the religious to the historical, but nothing concrete. For some folks, it's just another day, but for others, it's something to be taken seriously while being reminded of our phobias. With that in mind, we polled some of our fellow Yahoo!s to find out what they were afraid of, and what they do to ward off bad luck. In fact, there turned out to be so many fears and cures that we had to break it all up into three parts. Not surprisingly, some of our colleagues suffer from coulrophobia, or an unnatural fear of clowns: Sarah: I'm afraid of clowns and roller coasters, which is interesting, considering I worked at an amusement park for two years in college. Mike: People with a lot of makeup on make me ill -- literally. Like, I can't eat around clowns and stuff. I'll totally hurl. (Editor's note: That might inspire emetophobia in some other folks.) Mahlon suffers from xyrophobia: Razor blades, especially straight razors or double-sided razors, creep me out! Whenever I see them, I feel especially vulnerable around the throat and inner arms. Eek! And gum chewing -- not a phobia exactly, but I will cross the street or leave the room to avoid seeing or hearing it. Adam has acrophobia: Heights. Even driving over on-ramps or off-ramps that are way off the ground freaks me out. Majorly high bridges, zip lines, and other activities that put your body more than a dozen feet off the ground freak me out, too. Robert: I'm afraid of mirrors in dark rooms and doors that are open to dark hallways. I don’t know what might come through them. Helene: I can't stand alignments, like military parades. ("Don’t put that one in," she says. "People will think I’m crazy.") Personally, I have a fear of things that are too big. Not big objects, but things that are larger than they're supposed to be. The first (and only) time I saw Howard Hughes' "Spruce Goose" airplane, I nearly had a panic attack, because the thing was just too damn big. Coming up Monday: Media-inspired phobias. Watch out for those black cats this weekend! Suggested Sites... Snopes: Friday the 13th - myths and legends about the date. Wikipedia: Friday the 13th - an historic overview. How Friday the 13th Works - doesn't it just roll around? Wikipedia: Luck - what it is, and how to get it. Skeptic's Dictionary: Paraskevidekatriaphobia - a rational view of the fear.

Directory categories: Friday the 13th, Superstitions, Phobias, Friday the 13th Movie Series

Archived under: Curses, Friday the 13th, Holidays, Numbers, Phobias, Psychology, Society and Culture, Superstition

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