Setting: A cozy café in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Two friends, Luana (superstitious) and Rafa (rational thinker), are sipping on strong coffee and munching on pão de queijo.
Luana: (looking nervously at her phone)
Ugh, Rafa… it’s the 13th today. And it’s a Monday! You know what that means.
Rafa: (grinning)
Let me guess… the universe is plotting against you because of an arbitrary number?
Luana:
Don’t joke! You know my cousin crashed his car on a Monday the 13th. Totaled it. And last year, I spilled coffee on my boss’s laptop—on the 13th! You can’t tell me that’s coincidence.
Rafa:
I can and I will. You’re just remembering the bad things that happened on the 13th and ignoring all the boring, uneventful 13ths. Classic confirmation bias.
Luana:
Oh, here we go. Psychology class with Professor Rafa. But explain this: some people say 13 is actually lucky. In France, they have “the lucky thirteen.” And in Italy, 13 is positive. So how can a number be both cursed and blessed?
Rafa:
Exactly! That proves it’s cultural. Not universal. If 13 was truly unlucky, it would cause chaos worldwide. But nope—different places, different beliefs. It’s all social conditioning.
Luana:
Still… buildings skip the 13th floor, right? Even here in São Paulo. There has to be a reason for that.
Rafa:
Sure. The reason is marketing. If people are superstitious, you avoid the 13th floor to sell more apartments. Same reason why airplane rows sometimes skip 13. It’s catering to beliefs, not validating them.
Luana: (smirking)
Well, maybe science should take the hint. My aunt always wins at bingo when she sits at table 13. Every time. That’s not science. That’s… mystical.
Rafa:
Or maybe your aunt plays so often that statistically, she’s bound to win now and then. You just remember the times it fits your story.
Luana:
So you’re saying numbers have no power?
Rafa:
Numbers have power in math. Not in destiny. If you stub your toe on the 13th, it’s not a cosmic message—it’s a loose tile or your own clumsiness.
Luana: (mock offended)
Excuse me, my clumsiness is a direct result of planetary misalignment and bad vibes.
Rafa: (laughing)
Exactly. The moment Mercury goes retrograde, people blame it for everything from typos to divorces.
Luana:
Okay, okay. But admit it—there’s comfort in believing something is at work, even if we don’t understand it.
Rafa:
I get that. Beliefs give people structure. But wouldn’t it be better to face life knowing you’re in control, rather than a prisoner of a number?
Luana:
That’s deep. But still… I’m not walking under any ladders today. Just in case.
Rafa:
Fine. But if we cross a black cat on the way home, you’re buying me a lottery ticket. Deal?
Luana:
Deal. And if I win, it’s because of the cat. You can’t science your way out of that one!
[They laugh, clink their coffee cups, and step out into the sunny Rio street—one eyeing cracks in the pavement, the other shaking his head, amused.]
Science Vs Superstition 
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