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barnum effect
You believe generic personality descriptions are uniquely about you.
A 1948 study found that when individuals are given a vague, personality assessment, they overwhelmingly rate it as accurate to them personally.
Participants were given an 'individual' profile that was actually generic, consisting of vague statements that could apply to almost anyone. They praised the accuracy of the assessment, failing to realize that the same 'unique' insight was given to every participant in the group.
You find yourself in broad, empty descriptions if you are looking for them.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Bertram Forer, 1948, Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology
- What the check found
- While published in 1949, the experiment is universally cited by the year it was conducted (1948). The core finding of the experiment is well-established in psychology.
- Confidence
- Well replicated
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.