Barnum Effect
Hey,
I want to talk to you. Not you as in all my subscribers, but YOU in particular.
Yes, you.
I see that you open my emails regularly and I feel like I can sense a few things about you.
Tell me if this accurately describes you (I could be wrong):
You can be overly critical and harsh on yourself.
Sometimes you give too much effort on projects that don't go anywhere.
You think independently and take pride in doing things differently than others.
You can be loud and excited if you want to sometimes, but other times you choose to be quiet.
Deep down you want people to like you even though you might portray that not to be the case.
Take a moment to reflect on what I shared, because I don't say these things lightly.
Apart from being someone interested in mental models and rational thinking, I'm also a clairvoyant.
I offer paid readings for those who might benefit from it and I know you will.
So reply back to this email with a "yes" if you are interested.
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Did you buy it? Yes? No?
What if I was there in person and said the exact same thing?
Maybe? Still no?
This was a very risky email to send because a lot of you might not scroll down.
Anyway, here is the real confession..
This email was sent to all 2900+ subscribers on my list.
And a good chunk of you believed that those 5 statements applied particularly to you.
This phenomenon of assuming that generic descriptions apply specifically to you is known as the Barnum Effect.
And guess where the Barnum Effect is used extensively - Psychics, magicians, horoscopes etc and more often than not, professional and personal feedback.
Signs of Generic Times
If you were born in September or October, tell me if this seems likely for you next month:
“With the Sun in place close to your third house of communication until April 20, the first three weeks of next month are all about making connections. So often we get caught up in “doing” and results, and forget to nurture the ties we have, much less make new ones. This month, put people ahead of tasks and prioritize high-quality conversations that build long-term loyalty. It really IS who you know!
You’ll have a lot more ease doing that because a few planets have shifted out of rigid “fixed” signs into the more flexible “mutable” signs this month. For the first time in 2021, we’ll all start to experience a bit more ease and flow.”
The above “advice” were for someone born in March but it doesn’t make a difference.
Even if you were born nowhere close to September or October or March? I would bet that for a lot of you it felt like this “advice” was written for you.
Why? Simply because the things shared here are generic and most people just read their own horoscope and ignore the other zodiac signs, so there is little reason for you to compare and call B.S.
Relevance Beyond Psychics
So much of the advice that people give you are generic.
Your uncle might call you one fine day to let you in on some secret career advice, but guess what there are thousands who have heard some similar variation of that secret.
Your manager might give you feedback that makes you believe that your unique skillset is critical to your team and you are in fact irreplaceable. Soon, you get complacent and before you know it, you are struggling to keep your place in the team.
So much of what you hear is generic that it fails to register as generic in your mind and you assume it to be specifically for you.
Bad Date Good Data
Imagine you are a woman (for some of you it will be easier), you sign up on a dating site and you get matched with someone.
Soon, you both hit it off and then boom a shocking news hits your dating life.
The man is married and you were lied to the whole time.
Why does it always happen to you, right? Well, not really.
Here is a stat from OkCupid's research
Married men are the most likely to lie on dating sites: 67% of them say they lie when filling out their profiles or communicating on the website.
That's two thirds of them.
This is a very common occurrence (backed by stats) but you'll go on to believe that you attract liars and you'll end up victim blaming - YOU being the victim.
Insert a smooth talking psychic into this situation and she will be able to milk your generic tragedies for months by telling you that this situation is unique to you and she has the solution.
I want to end this post by sharing a phrase by PT Barnum who is attributed (perhaps falsely) with this effect, which is - A sucker is born every minute.
Don't be a sucker. Question everything. (Another Generic Advice)