Describes the tendency of people to identify with universal descriptions, and believe they relate to them specifically. Also referred to as the Barnum Effect.
Definition: Referred to as the Forer Effect. The tendency of people to accept vague and general personality descriptions as relating to them specifically.
Insight: Common explanations for this effect include hope, wishful thinking, vanity, and the tendency for humans to want to pattern match or make sense of things.
Reference: Bertram R. Forer: the psychologist found that people believed that general personality descriptions were unique to them.
Reference: Psychologist Barry Beyerstein: "hope and uncertainty evoke powerful psychological processes that keep all occult and pseudoscientific character readers in business."
Definition: The tendency for people to identify many of their own traits in universal descriptions.
Insight: The Effect explains why pseudosciences (astrology, palmistry, tarot card reading etc.) work so well.
Insight: The Barnum Effect is particularly strong when the statements are: (1) So general they would apply to anyone, (2) Flattering (we tend to accept flattery even when it doesn't relate to us), (3) There are no negative statements (does not say what you are NOT).
Insight: The Effect is closely related to Confirmation Bias - we tend to accept things that conform to our self image and filter everything else out.
Insight: Humans have a tendency to reinforce existing beliefs, and look for information that makes us feel good about ourselves.
Reference: Named after P.T. Barnum, circus entertainer who said "there is a sucker born every minute". He used his knowledge of people to get them to part with their money.
Insight: We notice what fits our self-image, and disregard descriptions that don't fit.
Reference: Forer demonstrated the Effect in 1948 using a general personality description.
Definition: The strong tendency to believe feedback from personality tests, even if they are bogus.
Insight: The Effect is often cited to explain why people believe is astrology, with very general descriptions.
Reference: Often called the Barnum Effect (after P.T. Barnum) because the personality descriptions that 'offer something from everyone' are taken seriously.
Key Insights & Principles
Cognitive Biases
Humans have a tendency to look for information that confirms our existing beliefs (confirmation bias), and ignore information that doesn't conform with those beliefs.
We tend to accept flattery or positive things about ourselves.
We tend to try to pattern match or make sense of things, and one way to do that is to relate things to ourselves.
