The Power of Vague Words: Investigating the Barnum Effect

Abstract

The Barnum Effect is a psychological phenomenon in which individuals perceive vague personality descriptions as uniquely accurate. This study examined its relationship with openness to experience, paranormal belief, and skepticism among 60 participants aged 18–46 years. Participants completed the HEXACO Personality Inventory (openness subscale), Revised Paranormal Belief Scale, Professional Skepticism Questionnaire, and a revised Barnum Effect Test. Results indicated moderate-to-high susceptibility to the Barnum Effect (M = 3.74, SD = 0.62). Paranormal belief showed a weak positive correlation with susceptibility (r = 0.24), whereas openness had a negligible effect. Skepticism did not significantly reduce susceptibility, and regression analysis showed that the three traits together explained only 10.8% of variance. Findings suggest that while the Barnum Effect is robust, personality traits explain it only partially, indicating the presence of other cognitive and contextual factors.