On a piece of paper, numbers can look devoid of emotion and often just marked in black and white; however, there is so much more to the tiny 7 inscribed on the paper. Dating back 10,000 years, numbers have been a part of our life and brain chemistry, from choosing our phone number or picking a jersey number to avoiding the 13th floor in a hotel. 

Although it may not be transparent, numbers are especially prevalent in culture today. A notable cultural household name that uses numbers in almost everything she is involved in is Taylor Swift. Being known as a “mastermind,” Swift designates number 13 as her lucky number, overlooking the negative connotations society associates with the number. Throughout the years, fans have noticed connections, such as that she won 13 awards in 2018 while seated in the 13th row or row M, also counted as the 13th letter in the alphabet. Moreover, in an interview with MTV, Swift recognized that five of her songs, “White Horse,” “Ours,” “Teardrops on My Guitar,” “Delicate,” “Gorgeous,” and “Mastermind” all have reached number 13 on the Billboard 100. Also, according to Collider.com, Swift’s first album achieved gold in 13 weeks. Swift has also arranged the albums Fearless, 1989, and Midnights to include 13 original songs and her original 1989 CD to include 13 Polaroid packages.

But the 13s don’t end there; 13 was especially prevalent during the 2024 Super Bowl. Swift has recently been spotted supporting her boyfriend, Travis Kelce, at various Chiefs games, and her attendance at the Super Bowl marked the 13th Kansas City Chiefs game she attended, as mentioned in People.com. Another connection is that the date of the Super Bowl was held on February 11, or (2/11), and if you sum up two and 11, the product is 13. 

While Taylor Swift embraces the number 13, many cultures worldwide avoid and associate 13 with unfavorable outcomes. According to DayTranslations.com, avoidance of the number 13, also known as triskaidekaphobia, has been taken into consideration in countries such as Norway, Sweden, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This superstition has created the avoidance of having a party with 13 guests and the building of the 13th floor. Not to mention the negative association between Friday the 13th and many horror movies surrounding the day, including Friday the 13th, The Conjuring, The Shining, and Nightmare on Elm Street. 

Nevertheless, the number 13 isn’t the only number well-known in cultures, such as the number four, which in China and Taiwan, is considered unlucky since pronouncing four in Chinese can sound similar to the word death. Therefore, building elevators in China need a fourth floor. Further, the number nine is avoided in Japan since it can be mistaken for the Japanese term for” torture” when pronounced. Airlines and hospitals in Japan avoid the number for this reason. But numbers aren’t just unlucky; three is a lucky number. Relating to the phrase, “All good things come in threes,” the number three is considered the luckiest in countries such as Korea and Sweden. In Korea, the number three symbolizes control over the ground and heaven because one represents the sky while two represents the earth, thus producing three. While Italians associate the number 3 with inner balance and strength. Also mentioned in DayTranslations.com, the number 8 is auspicious in many cultures. In China, people are widely fond of this number due to the number translated to bā, which sounds like the Chinese word fā, which means to generate wealth. A connection to this is the Summer Olympics being held in Beijing, which officially started at 08:08:08 local time. 

But numbers aren’t just categorized as lucky or unlucky; many have underlying sentimentality, especially in athletes’ jersey numbers. As mentioned in McGill, Jersey, numbers could be chosen by their birthday, like Sidney Crosby #87, born on 8/7/87. When selecting the numbers of their rivals, Mario Lemieux chose #66 because it was the mirror of Wayne Gretzky’s #99. Another option is a number based on childhood and family; since Michael Jordan chose the number 23 dating back to his years at Laney High School, his older brother Larry was already on the team with the number 45, so Jordan simply halved the number to reach 23 and rounded up. 

When interviewed by the Yorba Linda High Wrangler about the significance and personal connection she has to her Jersey number, Emma Perron (12) responded, “When I first started soccer, I picked 4 because that’s how old I was, then I switched to 8 because that was the day I was born. I was 10 around the time I picked 17, so it had no meaning, but now I gave meaning to that number, which is that is the age I graduate high school and a journey of my life closes, so I guess wearing 17 is like representing everything I have done in my life while growing up. It has become my lucky number, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

While we may not see them daily, numbers are everywhere and have different meanings in different cultures.

 So the next time you recognize the number 8 or 13, it isn’t just a number but a collage of different superstitions within different cultures, a universal language with no translation.