The 15 most important psychological effects

Surely you have ever heard the expression ‘that’s only in your head’ to describe a situation that is far from being the way you see it through your eyes and how you perceive it in your mind, which can significantly alter your life, as well as the way you deal with your problems or how you relate to problems the rest.

But... Why does this strange distortion occur? This is due to psychological effects that can be experienced casually or as a consequence of a lived experience., which leaves a feeling of imbalance that is sometimes difficult to notice.

Some of these psychological effects do not pose any potential danger to your daily life, but rather They can alter your routine at a low level, so you can recover without further incident. However, there are others that, if not detected in time, can bring many complications, since it reaches the point where one's own actions (behavior, personality and behavior) are guided by these beliefs.

Would you like to know these effects? Then stay reading this article, well

you will discover the most interesting, curious and not so unusual psychological effects that are present in everyday life and that can alter the way you perceive the reality around you.

15 most important psychological effects (and their scientific explanation)

Next you will know the most prominent and common psychological effects of all, can you recognize any?

1. Placebo effect

This is one of the most common psychological effects of all and even, it is very possible that many of us have ever gone or will go through it. It is the irrefutable belief that a drug can cure any problem it claims to do, even though the drug in It actually does not contain any pharmacological function, as it is just a product designed to give us hope, but without any real effect on our organism. In fact, it is usually composed of sugars and other totally harmless components.

It often occurs with the beliefs that the bigger the pills, the better their healing effect, the potential of the pills. magnetic bracelets, the homemade recipes that eradicate any serious disease or that an energy drink will give you can. The point of this psychological effect is the belief in its almost miraculous power. It is also known as the expectant subject effect.

2. Pareidolia

This is another of the most common psychological effects or phenomena and even one of the most curious, since it involves see faces in almost any object whose characteristics or order of elements resemble the features of a face. The most common is to find a face in cars, electrical outlets, old water taps, or houses that have two windows and a front door.

It can also happen that we find some form of a face, be it human or animal, in something that does not have an exact shape (for example, in the clouds). This association is possible thanks to our imaginative capacity, the stimulus of visual association and a series of previous knowledge to find the exact face of that figure. Has it happened to you?

3. Dunning-Kruger effect

Another of the most remarkable and notable effects in everyday life, as it is possible to find it in many areas of our development (work, intimate, academic, social, etc.). In this effect, people tend to have an overrated tendency of their abilities or the level of preparation they possess, despite not knowing or being experts on the subject being discussed.

But it does not end there, it also happens in the opposite case, that is, the tendency to devalue or underestimate the skills they have and what they are really good at. people. Since they think that they are not enough.

4. Apophenia

Despite not being so common, if we can find a constant pattern of appearance of this psychological phenomenon, in addition to being one of the most curious. Apophenia is based on finding patterns and links in a constant and even obsessive way that relate to events, people or elements, although in reality there is nothing that really connects them. It is a way for our brain to respond to something unknown and tie points that seem similar or that together can give us some meaning.

This phenomenon has been evidenced in cases of paranormal activity or strange sightings.

5. Stroop effect

Perhaps a little known effect but surely you have met someone who may have passed it, it is a visual game where perception is altered in a very slight but significant point with respect to the sensation left by a component textual. In such a way that, people stay with that sensory experience instead of paying attention to other stimuli to which they are being exposed.

A very clear example is in fact the Stroop test, where a person is asked to read a set of words that bear the names of the colors, then repeat only the color and then only the word. In some cases, people tend to name is the color always rather than the written word.

6. Bandwagon effect

Also called the drag effect, it consists of people literally letting themselves be carried away by what they who are around them say or think they know about something, because if they do it it is because it must be correct, is not it So? Well, not necessarily, since letting yourself be carried away by this effect can cause you to lose your self-confidence, forget that we have your personal opinions or dismiss them.

7. Lake Wobegon effect

It is a bit similar to the Dunning-Kruger effect, in the sense that here, there is a tendency to exaggerate or overvalue the possessed abilities, even to the point where we may feel superior to others, which we are on a very high. The problem with this is that, when a mistake is made, fails or we do not perform well in something, we tend to put all the blame on external events that do not come from our capacity. Although these external circumstances also have nothing to do with what we are doing.

8. Forer effect

This is one of the effects that can have the most negative implications on our perception and with which we must take special care. It is based on the fact that people tend to feel very strong pressure for the characteristics they possess in their personality, character and behavior. So they constantly think that each mention or description of their characteristics, they attribute a personal sense, that is, they think they are addressed to them despite being generalized details.

9. Cocktail party effect

This is perhaps one of the most curious and interesting psychological effects or phenomena of all, since it is a kind of augmented ability that we all possess but that we activate only on certain occasions specific. It is about concentrating all our auditory attention and mental focus on a specific sound that record above the background ambient noise, which has caught our attention and we want to continue discovering.

It can be a particular song, a name, a word or a known voice that is relevant and of which we have prior knowledge.

10. Bystander effect

This effect tells us about the low probability that one person will help another (speaking of an emergency or danger) being surrounded by people, than being alone. This occurs due to the false belief that nothing needs to be done because someone else will (someone more skilled, brave or expert), the question is, if everyone thinks this way, will someone really end up helping someone in trouble?

11. Von Restorff effect

One of the most profitable effects in the world of advertising, since it is about easily recognizing a particular stimulus when it is involved in more common things. So, we tend to recognize something unusual because it stands out from the rest that is already known to our eyes.

It is used in marketing and advertising, as they tend to target words, slogans, messages or images that are unique but represent the brand.

12. Kappa effect

It is a well-known effect and has to do with our perception of time, in this we have to, the time of Wait while we are performing some action and moving on to the next one, it may seem too long. Whereas, if this waiting time is reduced a bit, then we will have the feeling that the wait has been shorter.

Despite being the same amount of time, what changes is the way of perceiving the waiting time, since this is influenced by what we have been through and what we will have to do now.

13. Keinshorm effect

We are sure that you have ever experienced this phenomenon or know someone who usually gets carried away by it. This effect is about the negative predisposition that a person may have with respect to another, so who tends to have his defenses up and on alert to seek to attack the other every time he has the chance.

It usually happens during discussions or conversations and only seeks to contradict the other's word because they have little empathy feelings towards him. Thus, the decisions or judgments made are not objective, but a personal cognitive bias.

14. Halo effect

This effect consists of attributing to a person or a group, positive characteristics and overestimating their values ​​only because of their position or his attributes, which leads to the admiration, respect and faithful and blind following of that person, as well as what he promotes or promulgates. It should be noted that these people to whom a halo is figuratively placed on their heads, are actually as kind as they paint it.

A clear example of this are the artists, political figures or influencer who, due to their particular status, tend to be glorified.

15. Ben Franklin effect

This phenomenon is related to cognitive dissonances, especially with the belief that we must please and captivate people with gifts or favors. In this sense, the effect is that, the more regular favors we do to a person, the more we will be predisposed to do it again, just for the fact of doing it that, for a retribution for the person for having us granted something.