The Barnum Effect: why we love astrology and personality tests
What do astrology, aura reading, fortune telling, cold reading, and some personality tests such as the MBTI have in common? They all exploit the Barnum Effect to convince people that the generated statements are personal to them. The statements are vague, we interpret our own meaning, sometimes feeling in awe of their accuracy.
The discovery of the Barnum Effect
This is when individuals believe that personality descriptions apply specifically to them, despite the fact that the description is actually filled with information that applies to everyone
- The term was coined in 1956 by psychologist Paul Meehl who related vague personality descriptions used in certain psychological tests to those given by famous showman P. T. Barnum
- One of the most important factors when reproducing this study is to keep the statements as vague as possible, with a mix of mostly positive and some negative content
- For example, using the phrase “at times” makes for a powerful Barnum effect
How to manage the Barnum Effect
Beware of vague statements that may apply to anyone
- Question the authority of the evaluator
- If the analysis lists mainly positive traits
- Pay close attention to the content of the statements themselves
- It takes practice but once you know the signs, they are easy to notice
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