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Quantum Pings Library
The frequency illusion (Baader–Meinhof)
- Type
- Concept
- Publisher
- Psychology
- Source
- Wikipedia ↗
Learn a new word and suddenly it is everywhere. The frequency illusion is attention plus confirmation bias: the thing was always there, you just started noticing it.
Learn a new word and suddenly it is everywhere; buy a certain car and every other car on the road looks the same. The frequency illusion, also called the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon, is the sense that something has surged into your life the moment you started noticing it.
Nothing in the world changed — only your attention did. The frequency illusion is selective attention plus confirmation bias, and it is one of the most common sources of "signs" people report. Recognizing it is the first discipline of this library: before asking what a repeating number means, notice that you are the one doing the noticing.
The meaning
Some people read the sudden everywhere-ness as a sign — the universe emphasizing something for you to notice.
The skeptic
The frequency illusion is textbook selective attention. Nothing changed in the world; only your filter did.
About the source
Also called the Baader–Meinhof phenomenon: after you learn a new word or idea, it suddenly appears everywhere.
Key takeaways
- Newly learned things seem to appear everywhere almost immediately.
- It is attention plus confirmation bias, not a change in the world.
- Often mistaken for a sign, which makes it a cousin of synchronicity.