8. The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon
The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon, also known as the frequency illusion, occurs when something you just learned suddenly seems to appear everywhere. Maybe you encounter a new word, and then you spot it repeatedly in books, conversations, or online. This isn’t a shift in reality, but a trick of the mind. Cognitive biases like selective attention and confirmation bias play a major role—once you’re aware of something new, your brain starts noticing it more, making it feel strangely omnipresent.