Most of us must have heard of fortune tellers, mediums and tarot readers right? These particular people are believed to have knowledge of the future, our thoughts and personality traits.
People always feel the need to have foreknowledge, especially of themselves. They want to know why they are behaving a certain way, they want to know what their birth year or month means for their future, and so forth. This is also explained by people’s belief in astrology and how being born in May, for example, means you’re either a Taurus or Gemini and are expected to be stubborn.
Psychology experts have a definition for these kinds of beliefs, it is called the Barnum effect, which when explained means when individuals believe personality descriptions apply to them more than others, despite the descriptions being generic, according to Britannica.
“Psychics, horoscopes, magicians, palm readers, and crystal ball gazers make use of the Barnum Effect when they convince people that their description of them is highly special and unique and could never apply to anyone else.”
The Decision Lab states that the Barnum effect can be harmful when it interferes with people’s decision-making, causing people to make irrational decisions based on general knowledge they believe about themselves.
The above publication explains that this effect is named after 19th-century entertainer P.T. Barnum. The name “Barnum effect” was first coined in 1956 by American clinical psychologist Paul Meehl. He adopted this term after expressing his frustration towards other psychologists who were persistently making general statements about their patients.7 Meehl saw this as negligent practice, and advocated for individuation of diagnoses instead.”
There are a few tips that experts recommend to either get out or avoid being trapped by this phenomenon.
Check how general the statement is: According to Tracking Happiness, when examining information about your personality or future, ask yourself if this applies to anyone, if yes, then the data is broad and vague, making it unlikely to be true.
Search what’s not being said: The above source also mentions that it’s essential to identify what’s not being said, for instance, a personality quiz might have a description of a “do-er” who takes initiative and enjoys control, but it doesn’t mention specific interests or struggles. “If there’s nothing specific in the interpretation or results, that’s because it’s not specifically designed with you in mind.”
Know who to trust: Psychology Today states that “When you’re about to make an important decision based on any kind of assessment, seek your input from someone with proven credentials.”
Also see: How to reinvent yourself to create your best future
