The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, also known as the Frequency Illusion, is a cognitive bias where you start noticing something more often after recently learning about it. It creates the illusion that the thing is appearing more frequently, even though its actual occurrence hasn’t changed.
How It Works
- Selective Attention – Once you learn about something, your brain unconsciously starts noticing it more.
- Confirmation Bias – Every time you encounter it, your brain reinforces the idea that it’s appearing more frequently.
Example
- You learn about a rare word, and suddenly, you see it everywhere—in books, conversations, and online.
- You decide to buy a specific car model, and now it seems like everyone on the road is driving it.
Why It Happens
- Our brains are wired to recognize patterns and filter out unnecessary information.
- When something becomes relevant to us, our subconscious starts prioritizing it in our perception.
It’s not that the frequency of occurrence has changed—it’s just that you’re paying more attention to it now.