Barnum Effect When people believe that the conclusions drawn by an astrologer in their case are correct are subject to something called the Barnum Effect. P. T. Barnum, the proprietor of the ‘Barnum and Bailey Circus’, used to say that all people young and old alike like his circus, because they have something for everyone. The inferences of the astrologer work in similar fashion. The language used is woolly and vague enough to touch some aspect of every person’s life. When necessary, astrologers convince their clients about the veracity of their predictions with their ambiguous language.
