Wen You Start Hearing About Something Again After You Learn About It

The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon is the phenomenon where something you recently learned suddenly appears 'everywhere'. As well called Frequency Bias (or Illusion), the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon is the seeming advent of a newly-learned (or paid attention to) concept in unexpected places.

Where Did the Idea of a Frequency Illusion Come up From?

Similar to déjà vu, brains tin trigger the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon

Linguist Arnold Zwicky first put the term Frequency Illusion to paper in 2006, in a delightfully named piece [PDF], Why Are Nosotros So Illuded?

Zwicky divers the Frequency Illusion equally start 'noticing'... and so 'believing' something happens a whole lot.

Further, he posited information technology as a crossover of two other central biases:

• Selective Attention - Brains are very skilful at tuning out non-relevant information, so we suddenly observe and surface related information.
• Confirmation Bias - Humans dearest to ostend our own suspicions, and we prioritize information which backs our beliefs.

The concept of the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, nevertheless, predates Zwicky's paper. Interestingly, information technology grew out of a letter of the alphabet to the St. Paul Pioneer Printing by Gigetto on Lincoln.

While we couldn't discover the original 1994 column (perhaps a local reader can catch the microfilm?), The Printing has made many back-references. Gigetto on Lincoln claimed to have discussed the German language Baader-Meinhof Gang with a friend, who then called back a few days subsequently and (surprise, surprise!) reported seeing a segment on the B-M Gang on the news.

From local St. Paul coinage to a more-widely recognized phenomenon, the Baader-Meinhof name stuck.

But What – or Who – was the Baader-Meinhof Group?

The eponymous Baader-Meinhof Gang was a paramilitary grouping agile in Germany starting in 1970. Also known equally the Red Army Faction, Andreas Baader, Ulrike Meinhof, Gudrun Ensslin and Horst Mahler founded the group. Growing out of the West German Student Protestation Movement, the RAF's activity peaked in 1977 with the events of German language Autumn.

B-M is believed responsible for 34 deaths and a large number of injuries and belongings destruction. They remained at least moderately agile past the Berlin Wall'south razing, 'officially' dissolving with a faxed letter of the alphabet to Reuters in 1998.

What Could Crusade the Baader-Meinhof Miracle?

You can recollect nigh the Frequency Illusion in 2 ways:

1. In that location is a perceived increase in topical interest.
2. In that location is an actual increased interest in a topic.

If frequency bias is always an illusory phenomenon then Professor Zwicky'southward summary holds. Our brain's ability to screen out and pay attention to subjects subconsciously will sometimes trigger the illusion. Additionally, confirmation bias would only heighten the outcome for subjects particularly interesting to us.

Frequency bias might sometimes reverberate increased interest besides.

If some outcome, group, or idea is now role of the cultural zeitgeist and so you actually volition see more references to information technology – and you need to learn about it at some indicate. Unless you lot invented a concept or founded a group, at some point you'll discover it... and if it'due south currently trending, y'all're certain to see it oftentimes.

Of course, at that place is a third possibility: the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon is an example of commonage consciousness and has a supernatural explanation.

We won't cover that possibility - it's besides far outside our range of expertise!

The Copernican Method as it Relates to the Frequency Bias

Oft, every bit stated, triggered Baader-Meinhof might sometimes reflect an actual cultural shift or trend. While we tin wave our hands effectually this sort of thing happening, there are some concepts in unrelated fields which showtime from the same basic principles.

The so-chosen Copernican Method (a phrase used interchangeably with Bayesian Inference) is a model which, in the absence of grounding assumptions, assumes the observer is "not special" and randomly discovers a phenomenon during the miracle's lifetime. Stemming from Copernicus's Mediocrity Master, cosmologist Richard Gott used the method to accurately predict the lifetime of the Berlin Wall based upon his trip to visit it.

Bold yous are not especially special, yous volition probably learn most a trend in the middle of its popularity. That most guarantees yous'll go on to notice it - and the frequency illusion won't be an illusion.

(Information technology'south okay, we still recall you're special.)

Multiple Inventions and the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon

One theory of discovery in science is the so-called Multiple Invention or Simultaneous Invention theory.

Continually throughout history, major leaps forward in scientific progress have occurred in a relatively brusque menstruum of fourth dimension.

Oft, this manifests equally multiple "inventors" or "discoverers" of the same method or thing... all about the same time. Consider the independent discovery of calculus, or the similarly independent discovery of oxygen.

The multiple inventions theory implies that all the elements for discovery must be available at the right time. With the pieces bachelor, more 1 person is able to put them into identify.

In science, perhaps that ways that an earlier discovery makes a larger later discovery inevitable. For the frequency illusion, maybe some not-obvious event shared result triggers multiple people to talk about the aforementioned subject.

The multiple inventions theory has many theorized mechanisms, and gives a non-supernatural caption of the 'collective consciousness' theory. Not-biological evolutionary theories like memetics and evolutionary epistemology might explicate how more one person tin can arrive at the same invention or idea. Yes, those viral 'meme' gifs posted on your Facebook wall might work through a similar aqueduct.

Information technology'due south an interesting machinery which would partially explain ideas that seem to jump forth all of a sudden - you should start your inquiry at the Wikipedia article and then nosotros don't veer off likewise far into the weeds hither.

How Baader-Meinhof Relates To Yous

And so, yes - the Baader-Meinhof Miracle or Frequency Bias certainly exists. It also, at least some of the time, has a cultural or societal explanation. Further still, that cultural explanation doesn't require a supernatural explanation.

Let's necktie the phenomenon back to a more practical matter every bit is our wont on this site: your money .

This will happen to you often - you'll discover an asset class or investment opportunity, then continue to hear more than. When Baader-Meinhof kicks in and juices your fright of missing out, you should recall back to this article... Unless you invented or researched an idea yourself or take another reward - are you sure y'all're special?

In whatsoever situation without further context, especially when it will affect your wallet, information technology'southward best to assume yous aren't an early on adopter or genre pioneer. Whether that'southward tulip bulbs or bitcoins, if investment ideas hitting the mainstream earlier you lot act you're not going to exist among the first to turn a profit.

Then, keep with circumspection - unless y'all know you have an advantage otherwise. Index funds are e'er an fantabulous choice.

Have yous experienced the Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon? Was your experienced triggered past a societal trend, coincidence, luck, brain-tricks, or a supernatural hive-mind?

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Source: https://dqydj.com/baader-meinhof-phenomenon-frequency-bias/

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