The Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon: Why Do You See It Everywhere?

This is known as the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, or the frequency illusion. It feels as if whatever you just discovered has suddenly become much more common around you, but in reality, your brain has simply shifted its focus. The phenomenon stems from two cognitive processes: selective attention and confirmation bias. First, your brain registers the new concept because it is fresh in your memory. Next, your brain subconsciously starts looking for it and interprets every new encounter as proof that it has become more common. At the same time, you forget all the times you passed it by without noticing before. The world hasn't changed—it's just your brain's invisible filter tuned to a new frequency!