5 ms·

I went on a Tinder date the other day. Totally random, no mutual friends, never met or spoke before. Within five minutes she told me she was a palm reader, so I

I went on a Tinder date the other day. Totally random, no mutual friends, never met or spoke before. Within five minutes she told me she was a palm reader, so I humored her and asked her to read mine. I was absolutely shocked. The level of detail she went into that was dead on about my past and my personality was hard to explain away. It's of course just cold reading nonsense. But there's something about that interaction that really bothered me, and I can see how less rationally minded people would fall into it. If economics really is just cold reading at the societal level, there's probably something to the idea that preconceived notions can end up determining the course of reality.

Aeolun 5y ago
She didn’t investigate you extensively on Google first?
- dkarras 5y ago
  Honestly, doesn't even need to. Cold reading, barnum effect etc. works really well on the human psyche.
bobsmooth 5y ago
You're a furry, you like trippy art, you like programming, you like JRPGs and probably played Gaia Online. I got that from a single google search, imagine if I had your real name and a photo.
- vincnetas 5y ago
  Reminded me this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7pYHN9iC9I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7pYHN9iC9I "Amazing mind reader reveals his 'gift'"
nkrisc 5y ago
People think they're special, we're not. Whatever a palm reader says about one person could probably be equally true and accurate for a thousand other people too. There's billions of people in the world, we all have similar experiences, since many of us live in the same countries, in the same cities, with the same culture, and all do the same kinds of things with the same kinds of people. Obviously I have no idea what she said to you, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are at least 10 other people out there who could have heard word for word the same thing and thought it was about them specifically.
- michaelt 5y ago
  Why stop at statements that are only true for a thousand people? Your post tells me you have a dry sense of humour that makes connections quickly, which sometimes leaves you making jokes that go right over the heads of others. That means when the urge takes you, you can be the life of the party - despite the fact you can be shy, especially around new people. I can also tell you're naturally a bit disorganised - the kind of person who has unsorted photos on their phone, and that you hang onto notes to yourself that are significantly out of date. But you pride yourself as an independent thinker, and don't accept others' statements without satisfactory proof.
  - nkrisc 5y ago
    It is pretty impressive how personal that feels even when it is as broad as it is. Because you basically did describe me perfectly. Well, me and millions of other people too. Guess I’m not that special after all.
- david422 5y ago
  There's a Derren Brown clip where he gets a group of strangers in a room, gets to know them for an hour, and says he's going to give them each a personalized "reading". He takes a few hours, writes up a few pages for each of them and gives them to them. They read them, and most of them get pretty emotional describing how specific it is to them and how much it's affecting them. But the trick is, he gives the exact same reading to every person. We don't see what the reading is, but I've always thought- what if everybody in the room really does share enough human experiences that a reading (somewhat generic enough) really does cover almost everybody in the room.
ecpottinger 5y ago
Last time someone claimed they had powers I simply asked what colour is the carpet inside my cabin in northern Ontario. Since there is no pictures of the inside after I bought the carpet they had to guess and I was not telling. It is funny how everyone who I question suddenly starting ghosting me right after.
- teachingassist 5y ago
  Nobody claims to know what colour your carpet is. Even in a universe where I did 100% know the colour of your carpet via some form of clairvoyance (which is hardly an economically useful service), I've now understood that you will continue to react with confrontational scepticism. By asking this question, you have disqualified yourself as a client - not only of services which have no supernatural powers, but also of hypothetical "true" fortune tellers. Expect to be ghosted. Since I would expect the outcome to be the same in both cases, this doesn't prove or disprove anything to me.
  - tedunangst 5y ago
    What's the overlap between "economically useful clairvoyance" and "true fortune tellers"?
    - teachingassist 5y ago
      apologies for lack of clarity - I meant telling you the colour of your carpet, that you already know, is unlikely to be economically useful.
  - rcoveson 5y ago
    Three people claim to be able to predict when and where a solar eclipse will occur. You ask them for their predictions. The first provides a haiku which they claim encapsulates the point in time and space where an eclipse or other significant astronomical event will occur, insofar as your heart is open to it. The second replies that they are perfectly capable of doing it, but they believe your request constitutes "confrontational skepticism" and ghosts you. The other provides a latitude, longitude, and UTC timestamp. The idea that skepticism is somehow "confrontational" and warrants "ghosting" is a lie propagated for the purpose of blurring the line between real and fake predictive ability. This third type of person does exist; they're not even uncommon. When you encounter types one or two, it's not your fault. They're just the "noise floor" ever present in the search for a good prediction, or a product that does what it says it does. Work around them. Find the third type.
graeme 5y ago
I had a similar experience with a Santeria Priestess in Santiago Cuba. She had a sign out front and I consulted for a lark, seemed to describe me to a T. Years later in Boston I saw a sign advertising psychic readings. So I went in and sat for a reading. But with one difference. This time I resolved to make no expression or affirmative commentary whatsoever. I kept a neutral gaze, and at most I would say “I see” if she was waiting for a reply. The reader was flustered, and nothing seemed accurate. Of course for a true experiment I’d have to go back and visit the priestess, but I suspect she was simply good at reading me. Note that it isn’t necessarily a useless practice. I believe the priestess picked up on one aspect of my personality I hadn’t noticed. It had stuck out as a wrong description, but years later a major personal experience let me see it was actually quite accurate. Again nothing earth shattering, I just think she noticed something about me no one had outright said. So, someone skilled in human nature, good at reading people and well motivated could actually provide a valuable service for some people
webreac 5y ago
Search about the Barnum effect.

Aeolun 5y ago

She didn’t investigate you extensively on Google first?

dkarras 5y ago
Honestly, doesn't even need to. Cold reading, barnum effect etc. works really well on the human psyche.

bobsmooth 5y ago

You're a furry, you like trippy art, you like programming, you like JRPGs and probably played Gaia Online. I got that from a single google search, imagine if I had your real name and a photo.

vincnetas 5y ago
Reminded me this. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7pYHN9iC9I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7pYHN9iC9I "Amazing mind reader reveals his 'gift'"

nkrisc 5y ago

People think they're special, we're not. Whatever a palm reader says about one person could probably be equally true and accurate for a thousand other people too. There's billions of people in the world, we all have similar experiences, since many of us live in the same countries, in the same cities, with the same culture, and all do the same kinds of things with the same kinds of people. Obviously I have no idea what she said to you, but I wouldn't be surprised if there are at least 10 other people out there who could have heard word for word the same thing and thought it was about them specifically.

michaelt 5y ago
Why stop at statements that are only true for a thousand people? Your post tells me you have a dry sense of humour that makes connections quickly, which sometimes leaves you making jokes that go right over the heads of others. That means when the urge takes you, you can be the life of the party - despite the fact you can be shy, especially around new people. I can also tell you're naturally a bit disorganised - the kind of person who has unsorted photos on their phone, and that you hang onto notes to yourself that are significantly out of date. But you pride yourself as an independent thinker, and don't accept others' statements without satisfactory proof.
- nkrisc 5y ago
  It is pretty impressive how personal that feels even when it is as broad as it is. Because you basically did describe me perfectly. Well, me and millions of other people too. Guess I’m not that special after all.
david422 5y ago
There's a Derren Brown clip where he gets a group of strangers in a room, gets to know them for an hour, and says he's going to give them each a personalized "reading". He takes a few hours, writes up a few pages for each of them and gives them to them. They read them, and most of them get pretty emotional describing how specific it is to them and how much it's affecting them. But the trick is, he gives the exact same reading to every person. We don't see what the reading is, but I've always thought- what if everybody in the room really does share enough human experiences that a reading (somewhat generic enough) really does cover almost everybody in the room.

ecpottinger 5y ago

Last time someone claimed they had powers I simply asked what colour is the carpet inside my cabin in northern Ontario. Since there is no pictures of the inside after I bought the carpet they had to guess and I was not telling. It is funny how everyone who I question suddenly starting ghosting me right after.

teachingassist 5y ago
Nobody claims to know what colour your carpet is. Even in a universe where I did 100% know the colour of your carpet via some form of clairvoyance (which is hardly an economically useful service), I've now understood that you will continue to react with confrontational scepticism. By asking this question, you have disqualified yourself as a client - not only of services which have no supernatural powers, but also of hypothetical "true" fortune tellers. Expect to be ghosted. Since I would expect the outcome to be the same in both cases, this doesn't prove or disprove anything to me.
- tedunangst 5y ago
  What's the overlap between "economically useful clairvoyance" and "true fortune tellers"?
  - teachingassist 5y ago
    apologies for lack of clarity - I meant telling you the colour of your carpet, that you already know, is unlikely to be economically useful.
- rcoveson 5y ago
  Three people claim to be able to predict when and where a solar eclipse will occur. You ask them for their predictions. The first provides a haiku which they claim encapsulates the point in time and space where an eclipse or other significant astronomical event will occur, insofar as your heart is open to it. The second replies that they are perfectly capable of doing it, but they believe your request constitutes "confrontational skepticism" and ghosts you. The other provides a latitude, longitude, and UTC timestamp. The idea that skepticism is somehow "confrontational" and warrants "ghosting" is a lie propagated for the purpose of blurring the line between real and fake predictive ability. This third type of person does exist; they're not even uncommon. When you encounter types one or two, it's not your fault. They're just the "noise floor" ever present in the search for a good prediction, or a product that does what it says it does. Work around them. Find the third type.

graeme 5y ago

I had a similar experience with a Santeria Priestess in Santiago Cuba. She had a sign out front and I consulted for a lark, seemed to describe me to a T. Years later in Boston I saw a sign advertising psychic readings. So I went in and sat for a reading. But with one difference. This time I resolved to make no expression or affirmative commentary whatsoever. I kept a neutral gaze, and at most I would say “I see” if she was waiting for a reply. The reader was flustered, and nothing seemed accurate. Of course for a true experiment I’d have to go back and visit the priestess, but I suspect she was simply good at reading me. Note that it isn’t necessarily a useless practice. I believe the priestess picked up on one aspect of my personality I hadn’t noticed. It had stuck out as a wrong description, but years later a major personal experience let me see it was actually quite accurate. Again nothing earth shattering, I just think she noticed something about me no one had outright said. So, someone skilled in human nature, good at reading people and well motivated could actually provide a valuable service for some people

webreac 5y ago

Search about the Barnum effect.