Six in ten Greeks believe their headaches are caused by the ‘Mati’

A study carried out by the Society for Headache and Migraine Patients has found that six out of ten Greeks still believe that the “mati” (evil eye) is the cause for their head pain.

Ten thousand Greeks participated in the research, which was looking to help with public awareness of the causes and cures for a headache and found that 60 percent of those believed their head tension was due to the ‘mati’ and out of those four out of ten said they were able to be cured with ‘xematiasma.’

The evil eye is believed to be a curse given by someone who has negative intentions. Many believe negative emotion can cause the evil eye curse, such as anger or even jealousy. It is believed that the curse itself causes headaches and sometimes a string of “bad luck” to those who receive the ‘mati.’

Many people wear an evil eye charm, also called a mati, which is believed to help prevent the curse from even happening.

“There is a prevalence of misguided theories concerning headaches and their cure. It is important to dispel this prevalent myth and to break certain taboos, like fear of visiting a neurologist,” said Dr. Dimos Mitsikostas, associate professor of neurology from Athens University told Greek newspaper Kathimerini.

Dr. Mitsotakis said there are many reasons as to why people have headaches, however, he suggests if pain persists, people should see their doctor rather than assuming it is caused by the ‘mati.’