5. Astrology vs. Barnum Effect

8.

The dishes were served, and we both earnestly began to eat.

Wei Nanlin ate at a slow pace, mentioning that chewing thoroughly and swallowing small bites aids digestion. He even requested that I do the same, chewing each mouthful at least 20 times before swallowing…

While I ate, he deliberately counted for me.

I felt extremely honored on behalf of my stomach.

“Mmm? (How many times?)”

“23 times.”

I swallowed and retorted, “Why didn’t you remind me earlier?”

“The piece you just ate had some crispy bone in it, so it needed more chewing.”

“…” His attention to detail was truly impressive.

After a couple of times, I found myself subconsciously counting too!

But I’ve always been curious. With such a prestigious profession as a doctor, why doesn’t Wei Nanlin have a partner? He is so talented and gentle; he should be quite a sought-after prospect.

“Have you been in a relationship before?”

Wei Nanlin took a sip of water, “I had one during college. Later, we both felt that being in a relationship was affecting our studies, so we broke up amicably.”

“…” I really can’t understand the world of academic achievers.

He asked in return, “And you?”

I shook my head, “Never been in a serious one.”

Wei Nanlin continued, “What about less serious ones?”

“Eh!—” I suddenly remembered something, and my cheeks quickly turned red. “Not what you’re imagining! I haven’t had any casual encounters!”

Wei Nanlin chuckled, “I was just kidding. I know you wouldn’t be that reckless.”

“Of course, you seem like a very rule-abiding kid.”

“I’m not a kid!! I’m turning twenty-seven soon!”

“For me, you’re still a kid,” Wei Nanlin asked, “Is your birthday coming up?”

“Yeah, on the fifteenth of next month.”

Wei Nanlin seemed contemplative.

“And how about you?”

Wei Nanlin said, “Mine’s on the eighth of November.”

“Oh!” I got excited, “That makes you a Scorpio, right? A cunning Scorpio!”

Wei Nanlin asked, “What’s ‘cunning’?”

Generation gap!

Look, this is the generation gap caused by age!

“Cunning means looking all innocent on the outside while secretly having a lot of bad thoughts. Scorpios tend to hold grudges and have strong possessiveness. We Leos, on the other hand, are much more generous!”

Wei Nanlin opened his note app, “I’ll make a note of this grudge.”

I burst into laughter.

Later, Wei Nanlin seriously explained, “Actually, what’s known as astrology is essentially the Barnum effect.”

“Huh? What’s that?”

“The Barnum effect.”

Wei Nanlin wrote these words on my palm.

“Psychologist Forer demonstrated through experiments that people tend to believe that vague and general descriptions fit them better, even if these descriptions are randomly chosen, they still believe it reflects their personality. Astrology actually exploits this cognitive bias in humans, and the predictions it offers are often broadly applicable.”

“…” Although I nodded, he spoke too quickly and I didn’t fully understand.

Dr. Wei probably sensed something, but he didn’t directly point it out. Instead, he offered a simpler explanation: “If you read a few personality traits about Scorpio, there’s bound to be something that aligns with your own character.”

I skeptically searched for Scorpio personality traits.

“Scorpios have high intelligence, are mysterious, stubborn, powerful, loyal…”

Wei Nanlin beamed with pride, “It provides a broad range, so with all these traits, there’s surely one that suits you.”

“True, I do consider myself pretty loyal, hehe.”

I held my phone and continued reading, “Here it also says that Scorpios may seem quiet on the surface, but they have a keen insight into things. They can judge the right and wrong of complicated matters based on subtle details…”

Wei Nanlin interjected, “I’m not really quiet and reserved, though.”

Please just open our WeChat chat history to confirm these things before making such claims!!!

“And here it says that although Scorpios may appear serious, they’re actually quite passionate internally.”

Wei Nanlin touched his nose, “That’s not accurate.”

I had a mischievous grin.

Hehehe… Dr. Wei can also get embarrassed, it seems.

This one must be accurate!

“Quick, read the next one,” he urged.

“You’re easily driven by various desires. Once you overcome your nature, you’ll unleash a strong drive and display remarkable talents in fields like mysticism and psychology. Ah, ah, ah!” I exclaimed with excitement, “This one is super accurate!!!”

Wei Nanlin said, “It’s a bit uncanny.”

I burst into laughter, “Now, let’s see your compatibility with other zodiac signs!”

Wei Nanlin said, “Just take a look at Leo and Scorpio.”

I raised my head proudly, “Didn’t you say you don’t believe in astrology!”

Wei Nanlin’s head was almost glued to my phone screen, but he still insisted, “Just take a casual look.”

“…,” Wei Nanlin fell silent for a moment, but he still held his ground, “These things aren’t accurate.”

“I think they’re quite accurate. Initially, I thought you were a bit aloof, but as I got to know you better, I found out you’re a really good person.”

Wei Nanlin quipped, “If you don’t believe it, you can try dating me and see for yourself. I guarantee we’d be compatible.”

My face turned red, does the doctor really have such a deep bag of tricks?