As an avid Internet explorer, I’ve recently come across an intriguing trend: the claim that the equation 7×7=49 possesses a certain ‘Thursday’ feel.
This immediately struck me as accurate. But like many commenters on the meme, I couldn’t quite explain why.
But now, as I’ve began unpacking this association, I think I better understand how these connections are being made and would like to make my views public.
Priming you weekly with his song
Priming (psychology) is the idea that introducing someone to a certain stimulus can influence their response to a subsequent stimulus.
Suppose a person is exposed to the word “yellow” (this is the prime), and then they’re later given a task to complete a word that starts with “ban____.” Because of the initial exposure to “yellow,” the person is more likely to complete the word as “banana” than they would be if they hadn’t been primed with the color associated with bananas.
Priming with 7×7
The equation starts with the numbers seven, a numeral that’s commonly associated with the days of the week.
This primes my brain to operate within a weekly context, setting the stage for the rest of the equation. It’s a subconscious prompt, an underlying tune that plays throughout the engagement with the equation.
Positioning with 4
Moving onto the result of the equation, 49, the first digit is four.
Within the context of a week, the number four aligns with Thursday if we consider Monday the start of the week, which is the case under International Standard ISO 8601.
Transitory emotions with 9
Then, we come to the final element of the equation, the number nine.
As the last single digit, nine symbolizes anticipation and a sense of impending transition. It’s teetering on the edge, just about to tip over into the realm of double digits.
This feeling of expectancy mirrors the emotional journey we experience on Thursdays. As the day before Friday, it marks the transition from the midweek monotony to the exciting anticipation of the weekend.
Bringing it all together
Combining these elements, the equation 7×7=49 navigates through the days of the week, aligning with Thursday and resonating with the emotional ebb and flow experienced as we approach the end of the week. The numerical journey echoes a weekly rhythm, starting with the seven, positioning with the four, and anticipating a change with the nine.
While the connection might seem tenuous and is certainly open to interpretation, it’s nonetheless an intriguing perspective on how many people might associate numbers with temporal and emotional states.
So the next time you multiply seven by seven and get 49 and find yourself thinking about Thursday… uh… do whatever you want with that information.