Baader-Meinhof phenomenon (frequency illusion)

The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, also called the "frequency illusion," is based on how selectively our brain perceives information. This phenomenon refers to a cognitive error in which any new information begins to seem very common.

Now let's try to analyze the effect in simple terms. Let's say you learned something new (a fact, a movie plot, a foreign word, etc.) and after a short time you start to encounter this information everywhere. You hear about it on the radio, this fact is mentioned in a conversation, you even come across a video about it on YouTube. Is this possible? You begin to think that this information is widespread and often used by other people. Some people perceive the effect of the phenomenon even more simply: they feel that new information simply begins to follow them everywhere.

In fact, the frequency illusion effect simply uses the fact that our attention and perception are selective. Of course, there are news items that everyone talks about for a while (these cases do not fall under the presented phenomenon). But the average frequency of using any specific information remains unchanged, and it does not depend on whether you know about this information or not. But it seems different to us. Why does this happen?

The most logical and understandable explanation for this phenomenon is that the brain strives to understand what information we really need and what can be ignored. In this way, our brain simply saves resources. Every day we learn something new, but we do not need to remember everything at once. Our brain must determine what from this huge flow of information we will need in the future.

The following logic works in this situation: if we encounter certain information more often than others, then most likely it is more important than the one we heard only once. Frequent repetition of certain new information indicates to us that we will need it in the future, so we should not immediately push it out of memory.

Our subconscious is constantly looking for certain templates, coincidences, patterns. If they are found, we cling to them and say to ourselves: this is important and will be needed in the future. The essence of the phenomenon is that our brain increases the value of certain information and makes us pay attention to it again.

The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon got its name in the mid-90s, when an American newspaper published a story of one reader. The article talked about a strange coincidence: the author's friend heard from different sources twice during the day about a previously unknown German terrorist organization, whose leaders were Andreas Baader and Ulrike Meinhof.

After this article, a stream of letters from readers poured into the editorial office, describing similar cases that happened to them. As a result, the name "Baader-Meinhof phenomenon" took hold and became widely used.

The term "frequency illusion" to describe the same cognitive distortion appeared 11 years later thanks to Stanford University professor Arnold Zwicky. Nowadays, both terms are used interchangeably.

The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon occurs quite often in our lives. Here is a simple example: you decide to buy a car of a particular brand. For some time after that, you will see this model almost everywhere, wherever you are. It seems that everyone drives this car.

Another example: a girl wants to buy a new handbag, she begins to notice it everywhere: on the street, in a store, in magazines. Again, it seems that this bag is simply following her.

Another example: your friend recently shared a dilemma that torments him, and literally that same evening you see that this issue was raised in a film you are watching, or in a book, an article in a magazine, etc.

Another example: you read a book and now you notice it in the hands of other people, your friends mention it, and on YouTube you come across videos related to this book.

The peculiarity of this illusion is that the many mentions of certain information and the increased interest in specific information in society do not actually correspond to reality. In simple words, this situation is only perceived by a person who is under the influence of the phenomenon. At the same time, one should not exclude the fact that a person can really learn about a certain piece of information, fact or news precisely at the peak of popularity or at the beginning of the excitement.

According to Professor Zwicky, this phenomenon became possible due to two features of the work of our consciousness:

• selective perception of reality;
• tendency to confirm one's point of view.

Selective Perception

Selective perception is that when we focus on something specific, the brain automatically begins to filter out everything that seems uninteresting and useless to us. For example, let's take soccer. It may seem to you that the referee is always blowing the whistle and giving out yellow cards to the team you support. The illusion of frequency leads to the fact that fans of the opposing team think the same, but only about their favorites.

Also, thanks to selective perception, we “often” see the same time on the clock and encounter certain numbers.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to confirm one’s point of view (aka “confirmation bias”) allows us to interpret events in a way that is beneficial to us. Even some prominent scientists have been criticized for noticing only the facts they need, but not counterarguments. For example, a person with a strongly expressed position on some issue will see more confirmation of his opinion on television, in the press and on the Internet, because he simply subconsciously misses information with alternative opinions.

The frequency illusion is quite common in various fields. Most often, it is used by advertisers and marketers to increase the chances that you will buy a certain product. For example, if you tell potential customers about a promotion or a new product over a short period of time through different sources, they will think that almost everyone is talking about this offer. This arouses increased interest in the audience.

Marketing and PR

This effect allows you to attract attention to the product. For example, a company begins to promote a brand (product, promotion, etc.) through various methods:

• car advertising;
• banners;
• TV advertisement;
• online advertising;
• social media posts.

As a result, the potential buyer will subconsciously think about the product or promotion. This stimulates the purchase.

Medical industry

In medicine, this effect manifests itself as follows: a doctor has relatively recently studied the description or encountered an example of a specific disease, so in the near future he will be inclined to prescribe additional tests and procedures to identify this particular disease. At the same time, there is a risk of a deliberate desire to confirm one's point of view, while ignoring alternative diagnoses, which is dangerous for the patient.

Psychology and Therapy

In this area, the phenomenon is most often used in the concept of positive thinking to help a person overcome psychological problems. A person concentrates on the positive aspects of his life and deliberately forces the brain to pay attention to what brings satisfaction and peace. The illusion of frequency makes it possible to maintain such positive patterns of behavior and thinking.