Amazing! Do you always feel that "it rains when you wash your car"?

Have you ever had this experience?

"It won't rain if you don't wash your car, but it will rain if you wash your car"

“After carefully selecting the clothes I bought, I found out that there are so many similar ones on the street.”

"I learned a rare word in the dictionary, and soon it appeared frequently in various articles and conversations"

"I suddenly remembered a classmate I haven't seen for a long time, and I will run into him at school in a few days."

This wonderful phenomenon is called the "Maternal Effect" in psychology. It is not really related to pregnant women, but a little trick played by our brain: once our attention is attracted by something, we will pay more attention to it inadvertently.

So why does our mind play tricks on us? And how does this effect affect our daily decisions and cognition? Let’s jump into this interesting psychological phenomenon and see how it makes the world “ubiquitous”.

PART. ONEWhy is it called the “pregnant woman effect”?

The "pregnant woman effect" is a psychological term that comes from the observation that pregnant women are more likely to pay attention to other pregnant women. That is, when an individual pays close attention to a specific thing, he or she seems to encounter or notice information or signs related to that thing more frequently in life.

From a scientific point of view, this phenomenon can actually be attributed to two cognitive errors: selective attention and confirmation bias .

Selective attention is a screening mechanism in human brain information processing: in real life, we face a lot of complex information every day, but our attention and energy are limited, so in order to operate more efficiently, the brain will selectively prioritize the things we pay more attention to and screen out those things that are irrelevant to us . At the same time, our senses will also cooperate to execute, and the phenomenon manifested is that we are more likely to see and hear the things we are paying attention to.

Confirmation Bias refers to the fact that people are more willing to accept information that is consistent with their own views and ignore information that contradicts their own views. In short, it means that people only confirm the "real" and not the "fake" of their own views .

PART. TWO How does the “pregnancy effect” affect us?

Positive Impact

Improved awareness: Increases our ability to focus on specific things, allowing us to be more focused on our goals.

Promote learning and growth: When we become interested in a certain field, the “pregnant woman effect” may make us feel that information in this field is everywhere, thereby accelerating our learning and growth.

Enhanced social connections: When we take up a new activity or hobby, the “pregnancy effect” may cause us to notice more people with similar interests, leading to new social connections and friendships.

Improve decision-making efficiency: When making purchasing decisions or other decisions, the "pregnant woman effect" may help us more quickly identify and select information relevant to our focus.

Negative impact

Cognitive bias: The “pregnant woman effect” may cause us to overemphasize information that is consistent with our expectations and beliefs and ignore evidence that contradicts it, resulting in cognitive bias.

Decision-making errors: By focusing too much on specific information, we may ignore other important information and perspectives, which can lead to incomplete decisions and mistakes.

Reinforcement of prejudice: If you have a preconceived notion about a social group or event, you may begin to notice more examples that support that notion, leading to a deepening of your prejudice.

PART.THREE " The world you see depends on your heart "

First, when receiving information, we should consciously remind ourselves that we may be affected by the "pregnant woman effect". Secondly, we should actively seek out and be exposed to different information and viewpoints, which will help us gain a more comprehensive understanding. At the same time, we should learn to analyze the information we receive with a critical eye and not jump to conclusions.

In addition, we should communicate with people with different opinions and listen to their views, which will help us discover important information that we may have overlooked. When making decisions, do not rush to draw conclusions, but wait for a while to see if there is new evidence. Finally, maintain curiosity and a learning attitude , and constantly update your knowledge system.

In fact, in a sense, we are all that "pregnant woman". The world around us outputs countless information, which, through clever communication with the brain, creates countless different "worlds". Therefore, choose what you see, and then choose your world.

Have you experienced the "pregnancy effect" recently?

Feel free to share your story in the comments section!

Maybe you can find friends who have the same experience as you~

END

References:

[US] David Myers. Social Psychology (8th Edition) [M]. Translated by Zhang Zhiyong et al.: Beijing: Posts and Telecommunications Press, 2013: 12.

Wu Xiuliang, Xu Fuming, Wang Wei, et al. Confirmation bias in judgment and decision making[J]. Advances in Psychological Science, 2012, 20(07): 1080-1088.

Wei Ping, Zhou Xiaolin. Understanding selective attention from the perspective of perceptual load theory[J]. Advances in Psychological Science, 2005, (04): 413-420.

Hao Xuguang. The causes of “selective perception” in online debates[J]. Youth Journalist, 2021, (22): 5.

Author: Cheng Xin, Master of Social Psychology, Beijing Normal University

Reviewer: Li Xiran, Psychological Consultant, Master of Psychoanalytic Theory Research, University College London

Editor: Dong Xiaoxian