Why Do We Still Consult Fortune Tellers in the Age of Science?
We live in an era of cutting-edge science where AI predicts stock prices and big data analyzes our preferences. Yet ironically, on the eve of an important interview or at the start of a new year, we still open fortune-telling apps or seek out reputed fortune tellers. Even as we rationally dismiss these as superstitions, a part of us wants to rely on their words—why does this happen?
It's not simply because we're weak. This stems from a deeply instinctive human defense mechanism for managing anxiety. Let's examine from a psychological perspective what happens in our brains when we visit fortune tellers.
The Illusion of Control That Erases Uncertainty
The human brain perceives uncertainty as one of the greatest stressors. Research shows that not knowing generates more anxiety than even a confirmed negative outcome. Fortune-telling plants the Illusion of Control in our minds.
It makes us believe we can escape the helplessness of not knowing the future and predict and prepare for our fate to some degree. When the reading is favorable, we gain confidence; when unfavorable, we convince ourselves we can be cautious. By creating a coping strategy, we regain psychological stability. In other words, consulting fortune tellers is less about predicting the future and more like a 'psychological painkiller' to calm our anxious minds.
The Barnum Effect: Hearing Only What We Want to Hear
Have you ever felt chills when someone described your personality using universal traits, thinking it was uncannily accurate? In reality, these are statements applicable to anyone, but we interpret them as uniquely personal—this is called the Barnum Effect.
The more anxious we are, the more we hunger for positive messages or words that validate us. Even in vague fortune-telling, we selectively accept only the parts that fit our situation and strive to interpret our fate positively. Ultimately, we may not be asking fortune tellers about the future, but seeking consolation and reassurance that we're doing well now and that everything will be okay.
Outsourcing Responsibility to Lighten the Burden
Life is a continuous series of choices, and we bear sole responsibility for their outcomes. When this heavy burden weighs us down, fortune-telling becomes an excellent escape. The psychology of wanting someone to make decisions for us stems from Decision Fatigue.
Even if results turn out poorly, we can ease self-blame by attributing it to bad luck or an inaccurate fortune teller. It's a survival strategy to conserve mental energy by temporarily delegating the weight of overwhelming decisions to others.