Barnum effect

The Secret of Secrets is the latest novel by Dan Brown in which Robert tells about the Barnum effect!

This effect is the reason behind a section of the newspaper called the Horoscope!

Those who seemingly predict future or know about you or tell things about you or someone else use this method to actually make you believe what they say is true! They actually do that by making statements which are more or less neutral with some positivity thrown around!

The Barnum effect is manifested in response to statements that are called “Barnum statements”, meaning that general characterizations attributed to an individual are perceived to be true for them, even though the statements are such generalizations that they could apply to almost anyone!

Confused! Well let me tell you about this experiment which was actually done and also mentioned as being conducted by Robert in the novel!

This was done originally by psychologist Bertram Forer who called originally called the Barnum effect the “fallacy of personal validation” in 1949!

So in 1948, in what has been described as a “classic experiment”, Forer gave a psychology test – his “Diagnostic Interest Blank” – to 39 of his psychology students, who were told that they would each receive a brief personality vignette based on their test results!

One week later Forer gave each student a purportedly individualized vignette and asked each of them to rate it on how well it applied!

Most of the students were impressed on how much their ‘personalized’ prediction by Forer applied to them! They were amazed at how accurate some of the assessments were!

So far so good!

The biggest SHOCKER was that everyone got the same list in the same order! Nothing personal!

When you read the list you will understand that at some point at least one or more of the points may apply to you and everyone else with rare exceptions!

The points have been reproduced verbatim!

‘You have a great need for other people to like and admire you.
You have a tendency to be critical of yourself.
You have a great deal of unused capacity which you have not turned to your advantage.
While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them.
Your sexual adjustment has presented problems for you.
Disciplined and self-controlled outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure inside.
At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing.
You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations.
You pride yourself as an independent thinker and do not accept others’ statements without satisfactory proof.
You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others.
At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, reserved.
Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic.
Security is one of your major goals in life!’


Most  of the writers of the horoscopes section use these or similar lines to impress you or anyone else! That is the Barnum effect!

The effect has been said to confirm the Pollyanna principle, where individuals tend “to use or accept positive words of feedback more frequently than negative words of feedback!

In summary; you and me are mere mortals with feelings which needs validation! Just like everyone else! Also Barnum effect is real! You only hear what you like to hear! Like you may look at the sketch and feel its Anupam but it is actually his equally talented brother Raju Kher!

Now stop reading the horoscope for tomorrow and sleep!

SHubh ratri!