You're sitting at the kitchen table, reading your horoscope as you do every morning. "Wow, this fits me perfectly!" you think, amazed.

The fortune teller at the fair last week also seemed to understand your "true self" instantly. Is it magic or a miracle?

Neither, unfortunately. We've just fallen for the Barnum Effect.

Definition

The Barnum Effect is a mental trick. We believe that what we read or hear applies to us. These statements are intentionally vague, so we can relate to them in any situation.

Origin

Phineas Taylor Barnum (1810 - 1891) was a politician and circus founder. He ran the large curiosity museum Barnum's American Museum in New York, a mix of zoo, wax museum, and theater. Barnum aimed to offer something for everyone and "every taste." This goal is why psychologist Paul Everett Meehl named the effect after Barnum.

Research

Some know the Barnum Effect as the Forer Effect. Bertram R. Forer, a psychologist, conducted a study in 1948. He gave his students a personality test and then a result to rate from 1 (poor) to 5 (perfect) on how well it described them. The average rating was 4. His students found the results very accurate.

The twist: Forer didn't analyze the tests. He gave everyone the same pre-written description. It was so general that everyone saw themselves in it.

Statements

Barnum statements are vague and general, so anyone can relate to them. We find them in newspaper horoscopes, with fortune tellers, or during cold reading (a technique used by psychics to quietly get useful facts).

Barnum statements use:

• personal needs (desire for children, health, fulfilling partnership, secure job, etc.)
• basic worries and fears (illness, job loss, partner loss, etc.)
• vague statements ("You will receive good news today")
• manipulative statements ("You could make someone happy today")

Conclusion

We like to be influenced, and the more general the statements, the more we believe them. However, it doesn't hurt to maintain healthy skepticism and caution towards certain statements and encounters.

Knowing about the Barnum Effect will surely help us in the future.