Which Number is Your Favorite Number?

All numbers are favorite numbers, but some of them are more favorable than others.*

Unsplash photo by Dylan Nolte

Researchers asked thirty thousand participants the same question: “What is your lucky number?” in the survey. So, everyone has a chance to see that their lucky number is how much popular. As I discussed in my preceding article, almost 10 % of the participants answered it was ‘7’, which was the most preferred number in the survey. When the 30 most preferred numbers are enlisted, the number 3 comes second after 7, then numbers 8 and 4 follow them. What are the unique features of these numbers, which are the most preferred? I have pointed out the remarkable properties of some of these numbers.

Unsplash photo by Daniel Giannone

Almost 7 % of participants have chosen number 8 in the survey. It is plausible in many far eastern cultures that the number 8 is considered a lucky number to the point of obsession. Number 8 means a good chance in Chinese culture because the Chinese word for “eight” sounds like “wealth.” Also, turned on its side, it represents the infinity symbol — which means “forever.” The Beijing Olympics opened on 8/8/08 at 8.08 pm — not a coincidence! Let it not be made for China’s success forever, okay, at least for that year, even if success is achieved, it is enough. It already happened. That year, the Republic of China led the games with 100 medals, 51 of which were gold, 21 silver, and 28 bronze.

The number 4 is the fourth place, but surprisingly, opposite to number 8, it calls lousy luck in the Far East. The pronunciation of the number four in Japanese is very similar to the word death. Because of this, four have been considered bad luck in Japan, Korea, and China. It deems to be terrible luck to give a gift made up of four pieces to someone. Many buildings in heavily Asian areas do not have the fourth floor, much like North American cultures treat the number 13. You might find a hotel without a 4th floor or a product line without a series 4. For example, Nokia mobiles went from a series 3 to a series 5 product range. In Western culture, four isn’t necessarily considered lucky or unlucky; however, there are a few unlucky fours. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse from the…