The Barnum Effect is the phenomenon that people give high accuracy rating to rating describing their personalities. This effect can be use to explain the popularity of astrology, cold reading, or some pseudoscientific personality tests. It can be seen as a form of confirmation bias. 1
The effect is also sometimes called Forer effect. In 1948, psychologist Bertram Forer administrated a fake personality test and gives all his student the following vague description, and most students rate the descriptions as accurate. 2
Quote
- 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.
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 1.