Barnum effect: this matches me!

Have you ever watched a video online claiming to describe your personality or life circumstances? If yes, did you ever feel that it completely matched you? You might have started to believe in the ‘special powers’ the person possesses and begun watching more videos.

If this applies to you, then this is called the Barnum effect or the Forer effect. It occurs when people believe that vague and general statements about personality or life circumstances are highly accurate for them personally. This is a trick used by many people, where they put forward statements that are typically broad and universally applicable, thus allowing individuals to relate and find personal meaning in them.

Some examples are: “You wish to be liked by people”, “You like being around people but also need your own space”, and “You can be critical at times”. These statements are more easily accepted when they are positive.

So why do we believe them so easily? This is because humans always look for validation. We want to be understood by others, and these posts fulfill that need. We also have selective perception, which means that we tend to focus on the parts that resonate with us and ignore those that don’t. So even if 70% of it matches us, we start to believe and trust it. Lastly, since these statements are vague, they allow us to modify them slightly to match our experiences more accurately.

Now, what can we do? We should be aware of this phenomenon. Next time you encounter such a post or hear someone mention it, analyze whether the statements are very vague or specific. It’s also crucial to trust the source; don’t trust random people blindly. You could share this with friends and ask them if they relate to the particular statements or not.

It’s important to remember that not all people use vague and generalized statements. Many are genuine and based on psychological principles. For example, “You have improved your time management skills after implementing a new scheduling system last month”. It’s necessary to differentiate between these two.

Photo by Abhishek Koli on Unsplash