Brain Food #564
Meaningful coincidences
Thoughts of the day
Good morning, and happy Friday.
When we look for signs, is it the search that matters, or the discovery?
There is a term coined by Carl Jung called ‘synchronicity’, which refers to two seemingly non-related events, one happening within us, one in the world, occurring simultaneously. It happens, for example, when we are thinking of something, and it turns up in a book we are reading, or when we dream of someone and then bump into that person on the street.
Jung attempted to explain this phenomenon scientifically, concluding that these events were “‘coincidences’ which were connected so meaningfully that their ‘chance’ concurrence would represent a degree of improbability that would have to be expressed by an astronomical figure.”
In very simple terms, Jung implies that the world is working, and significant events happen, and we just happen to be in the right place, at the right time. When such meaningful coincidences happen, they could signify that we are on the ‘right’ path.
There also happens to be a cognitive bias called the frequency illusion, or Baader-Meinhof phenomenon. This occurs when we learn about something for the first time, and start seeing it everywhere. Is the ‘thing’ occurring more frequently, or is our mind paying more attention, and seeking it proactively?
When something appears to be a meaningful coincidence, it may be the right time to note it down, and think about what it is really trying to tell us, not about some curious twist of fate that is awaiting, but about our very own inner workings.
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