Before you read this post please go to this site and complete the personality test:http://forer.netopti.net/
Done the test?
Yes?
Cool.
On with the story.
Yesterday was the Hamish's last day to convince Andy that there people out there with supernatural and psychic powers.
I've been glued to the radio because of this segment.
I've been sitting on the fence in this topic. My background forces me to look at things logically. See the facts. And from what I've seen, they're not accurate - Psychics, tarot card and fortunetellers.
On the other hand, my girlfriend and her crew are down with this stuff. They can see aura apparently! Their Facebook is littered with astrology stuff. Their stories are compelling so it must be true!
The experiment was this - Hamish was to bring in four experts to tell something about Andy's past. And it didn't matter if the experts made mistakes, as long as they came up with a pearl of a fact that couldn't have been guessed, then that would be enough.
That would have been enough for me too!
Four days and four psychic experts later - Hamish and Andy finally conclude that there is NO such thing as psychics or supernatural powers.
Even Hamish turns unbeliever.
I too turn unbeliever.
The tarot readers and so-called experts all kinda just guessed their way through Andy's life. For every one they got right (like the colour of their car - which can be a statistical guess) they would have gotten about ninety wrong.
I was disappointed.
Hamish and Andy even proved how 'wishy-washy' these experts are by calling a random stranger and pretended to be a psychic. The segment was hilarious. The guy who answered was so impressed with Hamish's so-called psychic powers
Hamish: "you are in a bit of turmoil.. a big decision is up ahead..."
Stranger: "ohh yes thats right.. we're buying a house and its been a difficult time.."
Hamish; "whats with the number 14.. I can see a number fourteen"
Strangers" "well the settlement date was suppose to be the fourteenth..."
Hamish" Hmmm I can see July..."
Stranger "i dunno. .. the settlement is in January.."
Hamish " oh yes.. That’s what I meant.. I knew it was a 'J' month.."
**
Last night my cousins and I were talking about astrology and personality tests.
My fortune for this year is apparently quite impressive.
And then they tell me of the Barnum effect.
If you took the personality test above, then you would have gotten the same analysis as everyone else who's done that test. And you would have graded it pretty accurate.
What the Barnum (or Forer) effect shows is a phenomenon called subjective validation. When an unrelated or random event is perceived to be related because we want it to. Because that’s what we believe or demand to believe. We are wishfully thinking.
"We are constantly trying to make sense out of the barrage of disconnected information we face daily. Hope and the uncertainty evoke powerful psychological processes..." claimed psychologists Barry Beyrstein.
And if you do some further readings, the studies have showed that we happily 'ignore' the grossly inaccurate statements about us, simply because we want that relationship (between our supposed fortune and us) to exist.
So with that, I have now sadly turned TRUE unbeliever to psychics and fortune tellers - even personality tests. (so how about religion - is there such thing as a god? or do we just want to have a god? hmmmm spicy stuff this is)
Btw, the psychic in me is saying that you are in front of electronic equipment.... a computer perhaps... a mouse.. do I see mouse in ur hand... no.. it looks like a track pad... could be a mouse... I can't quite tell...
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