#barnum effect

[wonky-venus]

Here's a nice drinking game you can play with your astrology friends! You google "[star sign] personality," click on whichever website strikes your fancy, and take a shot whenever the article contradicts itself in the same paragraph

[yumedesutrance]

You already wanted something before the trance started

Before anything happens in trance… there’s already a reason you’re there

According to a colleague whose post I highly recommend, Barnum statements in hypnosis tend to focus on two main areas:

Desire

What people experience in trance

Barnum statements work best when they’re tailored to what you already know about the person.

Because here’s the catch: not everyone relates to every “generally true” statement.

Not everyone wants simple pleasure. Some want catharsis. Some want intensity. Some want discomfort.

There’s always an outlier.

So how do you actually use this?

Build rapport and trust Without that, nothing sticks.

Acknowledge the desire to be in trance This one is simple: if someone seeks hypnosis—whether a session or even an audio—there’s already a desire there. (Yes, exceptions exist. There’s always someone training resistance. But they’re not the majority.)

Reduce anxiety Many subjects worry about “doing it right,” about being good subjects, suggestible enough, cooperative enough. Telling them they don’t need to perform can make a huge difference. And that, again, is a general truth.

Recognize common emotional patterns Desire is complex—especially in kinky contexts. But broadly speaking, the search for pleasure (sexual or not) and parasympathetic relaxation are expected in trance.

And it all comes down to one question:

Why does the subject want trance?

Whatever the answer is— you respect it. And if you know it, you can work with it.

Do they want to stop thinking? Do they want someone else to take control? Do they want to stop deciding? Do they want to relax?

✦ ᛉ ᚨ ᚷ ᛟ ✦

✦ᛉumeᛋᛇ✦

[wtf-fun-factss]

Horoscopes are just vague enough to seem true. Click to read the full fact.

[nuttersincorporated]

Meta

Title: Meta

Fandom: The Stanley Parable

Summery: The Narrator wanted you to read a fanfiction about Stanley but Stanley has locked himself in the broom closet

Word Count: 840

Author’s Narrator’s Note: Hello Reader, the author was going use this AN to warn you that this story gets very meta. However, I made her name the fanfic Meta so that should be pretty obvious. Instead, I’m using this space to tell you that you can get an Achievement for rebloging and/or leaving a comment on this fic.

...

This was supposed to be a fanfiction about Stanley.

Unfortunately, Stanley is selfish and stupid. I had a whole wonderful story planned out just for him but Stanley has decided to bring things to a grinding holt by locking himself in the broom closet.

I know you can hear me in there Stanley!

I don’t know what you think this little display of resistance is going to accomplish but it’s not going to work. I can wait as long as it takes. Eventually, you're going to get bored, come out of there and the story will continue.

However, unlike me, the reader of this fanfiction does not have infante time and patience for dealing with your… shenanigans. That is why – until you come out – I’m going to speak to the reader instead of you.

Hello Reader.

I know this wasn’t the story you were expecting but I hope you will enjoy it anyway.

‘This is a story about you,’ said the handsome and talented Narrator, and you were pleased, because you always wanted read about yourself in a fanfic…

No, no, no! That was all wrong. I came over all Night Vale for a moment there. I’m not used to telling stories about someone other than Stanley but I will get this right! I’ll start again.

This is the story of you, the person reading this fanfiction. You find this fact intriguing and slightly worrying.

Before this, you have never been directly spoken to by a character in a fanfiction. This interaction makes you feel slightly off balance. You also know all about The Stanley Parable and how frustrated I can get with Stanley sometimes.

Fear not, intrepid Reader! Unlike Stanley, you have many great and admirable qualities. First and foremost, you don’t hide in broom closets rather than letting me tell my story.

You hear that, Stanley? The Reader is much better behaved than YOU! The Reader can also jump and is more attractive and hygienic than…

I apologies Reader. I will stop getting distracted. This is not a story about Stanley. You are better than him in every way and this is a story about you.

You, dear Reader, have many talents. In fact, you have a great deal of creative potential that you haven’t yet fully used. However, I know that you can and will do amazing things. There is no rush, you have plenty of time and I have no doubt that you will succeed in the end.

You often appear to outside observers to be a self-controlled person. However, I know that this is a mask you wear to hide the worries and insecurities that you feel. You tend to be very critical of yourself and your work. However, the truth is that you are your own biggest critic and you really do not need to be.

In all honesty, I have to admit that you aren’t perfect. Of course, you aren’t. Unlike me, you are only human and so you do have some weaknesses.

An example of this is that you sometimes let how others view you, affect your self-esteem. Other people’s opinions of you matter to you a lot. I know you want to be liked and admired. However, there are some people who will never fully appreciate the amazing person you are. That is okay. There are people who do and I am one of them.

Sometimes, you worry about whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. The world outside The Stanley Parable is not always straightforward. Sometimes there are no perfect choices but you do the best you can and that is all anyone can ask.

For the most part, you are able to compensate for the few shortcomings that you have. You can recognise and work around the things you struggle with.

I applaud you Reader for being an independent thinker! You don’t just believe anything you are told. You will listen to others and make up your own mind.

Sometimes, you need time by yourself so that you can rest, relax and reflect. At other times, you are very outgoing and sociable. Although you are a friendly person, you have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others unless you know them well and trust them.

You…

*CLICK*

Oh, hello again Stanley. Finally finished with your little act of rebellion, have you?

Well, you can wait a minute while I finish talking to the Reader.

Reader, I would love to stay and talk more about you. It has been a pleasure to talk about someone other than Stanley for once, especial someone as special as you. Unfortunately, I have a job to do.

You see, my Stanley needs me and you don’t. Your story isn’t one I can tell in its entirety. You have to go out and live it.

Good luck, Reader. I know you’ll be amazing.

As the Reader finished the fanfic, Stanley came to a staircase. He walked upstairs to his boss's office…

Upstairs NOT downstairs, Stanley!

[quotesfromall]

Cryptomnesia. It means memories you’re not consciously aware of, a memory of an incident in your own life that you’ve forgotten.

Peter Robinson, Summer Rain

[kavepor]

Barnum effect

< The Barnum effect, also commonly referred to as the Forer Effect, describes when individuals believe that generic information, which could apply to anyone, applies specifically to themselves. >

[furryalligator]

(via Psychology Professor Debunks Misinformation on TikTok - YouTube)

The Barnum effect, also called the Forer effect or, less commonly, the Barnum–Forer effect, is a common psychological phenomenon whereby individuals give high accuracy ratings to descriptions of their personality that supposedly are tailored specifically to them, yet which are in fact vague and general enough to apply to a wide range of people. This effect can provide a partial explanation for the widespread acceptance of some paranormal beliefs and practices, such as astrology, fortune telling, aura reading, and some types of personality tests.

[religion-is-a-mental-illness]

It’s called the Forer (or Barnam) Effect.