What is the Forer effect? Have you ever heard of this term? Also, have you ever wondered why some horoscopes seem to be made for you, or had fun with personality tests on the web? If the answers are yes to these questions, you may be a victim of Forer effect Understand why!

Meaning of Forer Effect

The Forer effect, also known as the Barnum effect, occurs when a person accepts a statement about himself as valid, believing it to come from a reliable source.

In other words, people fall victim to the fallacy of personal validation and accept that their own generalizations can be valid for any individual.

Forer Effect Definition and Examples

The name of the creator of the Forer effect is psychologist Bertram R. Forer , who discovered through an experiment that many people accepted for themselves personal descriptions that seemed to be true. This happened, for example, in personality tests.

This experiment was conducted in the year 1948, and consisted of taking a sample of students who were to take a personality test.

Thus, they were provided with a list of statements as the final result of the evaluation, and asked to analyze these results to see if they were true or not.

Results of the personality test applied

What the students never imagined was that they would all have the same result.

Each answer was rated on a scale of 0 to 5, with 5 being the highest score.

The experiment showed that the evaluation of the class was 4.26, showing that everyone considered what they said to be correct. Thus, they believed that what was said really corresponded to their personality.

Since then this study of the Forer effect has been done several times and the result is always the same.

Watch out for two elements!

It is worth remembering that, when applying this assessment, two important elements must be taken into account:

• The data or specification that is delivered for the test is fundamental and valuable, intensely fulfilling the ratio between positive and negative characteristics.
• The individual must believe the person who is conducting the study.

In view of the illusory effect of the Forer effect, it is very important that people do not get carried away by the so-called pseudosciences (for example, tarot reading). Also, there is no point in believing in the tests that appear in magazines, which make you think that the results that appear determine your personality.

The best thing to do for those who need advice or help is to seek a professional, that is, a therapist or psychologist who is trained to perform a reliable assessment.

How the Forer effect works

One of the reasons you fall for the Forer effect is that there are no points at which you can disagree with the proposed statements. This is because most of them present two options: "you are A, but sometimes you are B."

This statement is impersonal enough to match any human being. For example, the statement "you are very good, but sometimes you do bad things" leads anyone to accept this analysis as true.

Another reason is that some divinatory arts, such as the horoscope or the tarot, do readings of the future. We human beings love to have control over everything. However, the future is uncontrollable. Even so, thanks to these arts, we feel that for a moment we know what is going to happen.

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How to avoid becoming a victim of the Forer effect?

Knowledge is power! Therefore, just knowing what the Forer effect is can help you avoid falling into the traps of the pseudoscience.

Be someone who researches, learns, and discards weak sources, so you will be safer to screen out dubious information. Also, look for solid evidence. An online test can't tell you much about yourself and your behaviors, but psychologists have psychometric tools that can help you.

It is very worthwhile to read between the lines the intentions of those who are trying to make you believe what they are saying. It is also important to discern what are vague and general statements. All this will help you determine the reliability of an instrument.

Definition of Pseudoscience in the Forer effect

Beliefs that lack scientific rigor or are not supported by evidence are popularly known as "pseudoscience".

In view of this, the main characteristic of this type of practice is that it cannot be claimed to be true. This is because there are no reliable ways to demonstrate the veracity of what it proposes.

It can even be said on this subject that the people who most believe in and follow pseudoscience are those who do not have a severe inclination toward truth.

Here's how not to fall for the Forer effect

Keep in mind that the Forer effect can be difficult to perceive because it involves trust and generalizations. How can you not believe information that doesn't seem wrong and that comes from someone who doesn't inspire doubt? If you have this doubt, see below what leads someone to fall for the Forer effect. Be careful not to make this mistake.

• Perception that you fit the diagnosis (this is only because it is based on vague statements that apply to anyone);
• Trust in the authority of the person who made the diagnosis or the source of information.
• Valuing information, which is considered satisfactory. However, this only happens if it has a positive meaning.

Know that you are only convinced by these kinds of statements because he is prepared to make you fall into his trap.

Be careful! Although science is the highest knowledge available to human beings, many people feel a strong attraction for doctrines that are totally distant from scientific criteria.

More than that, they believe in all kinds of propositions that involve the existence of invisible energies that pull the strings of our existence. Although these explanations of life are very attractive, avoid being fooled by effect Forer.

Final considerations

The biggest warning we can give you is don't fall into the trap of Forer effect Rather use logic and reason than believing in horoscopes and cheap predictions.

If you need advice or help to better understand your personality and your behaviors, it is best to go to a professional (a psychologist or therapist, for example). This is because he or she is trained to accompany you in your processes.

I want information to enroll in the Psychoanalysis Course .

Finally, we invite you to enroll in our online Psychoanalysis course where we bring you the best information about this enchanting world. Forer effect So don't miss this opportunity!