Barnum Statements

In 1948, a psychologist called Bertram Forer gave a personality test to his students. Afterwards, he gave his students a personality analysis, which he claimed was unique to each of them and based on the results of the test. In reality, each student received exactly the same analysis:

“You have a great need for other people to like and admire you. You have a tendency to be critical of yourself. You have a great deal of unused capacity which you have not turned to your advantage. While you have some personality weaknesses, you are generally able to compensate for them. Your sexual adjustment has presented problems for you. Disciplined and self-controlled outside, you tend to be worrisome and insecure inside. At times you have serious doubts as to whether you have made the right decision or done the right thing. You prefer a certain amount of change and variety and become dissatisfied when hemmed in by restrictions and limitations. You pride yourself as an independent thinker and do not accept others’ statements without satisfactory proof. You have found it unwise to be too frank in revealing yourself to others. At times you are extroverted, affable, sociable, while at other times you are introverted, wary, reserved. Some of your aspirations tend to be pretty unrealistic. Security is one of your major goals in life.”

The students were asked give feedback by ranking the appropriateness of the analysis they received from 0 (very poor) to 5 (excellent). The average rating was 4.26. It was only at this point that Forer revealed the statements weren’t tailored to each student at all, but were the same for everyone and were assembled from various horoscopes.

The remarkable fact that a series of personality statements should apply so well to so many people – and be self-identified by those people – has been tested many times since Forer’s original experiment, most famously by illusionist Derren Brown. Possibly, while reading the above statement, you also identified with much of what was said, even though, of course, those statements were not designed for you at all.

The Reason:  the sentences that make up the analysis above are Barnum Statements. This name is inspired by P T Barnum who famously said ‘We have something for everyone’. Barnum statements are statements that seem to apply well to you but are in fact vague and general and could apply to anyone.

Later studies have identified some variables that influence how well people identify with Barnum statements:

1. If you believe the analysis applies only to you, you will bring your own meaning to the given statements.
2. If you have faith in the authority of the person making the statements
3. If mainly positive traits are listed

Barnum statements provide a partial explanation for the acceptance/belief in horoscopes, fortune tellers, psychics and astrology etc. Derren Brown makes this point in a fascinating interview with Richard Dawkins, part 1 of which is shown below: