Scott Alexander examines the Forer Effect, reframing common 'psychic' statements as insights about human nature and self-compassion tools. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the Forer Effect, a psychological trick used by astrologers and psychics. He analyzes a list of Forer statements, explaining why they seem accurate to most people. Scott then reframes these statements as potential updates to our understanding of others and as self-compassionate affirmations. He discusses how this relates to concepts of 'normies' and 'neurotypicals', and questions whether the perceived differences between these groups and others are real or imagined. The post ends with uncertainty about whether certain groups truly experience less interiority or if it's a matter of differing communication styles. Shorter summary

Scott analyzes survey data to test the claim that rejection sensitivity is a key feature of ADHD, finding limited support and emphasizing caution in adopting such ideas without formal research. Longer summary

Scott Alexander investigates the claim that rejection-sensitive dysphoria is a key feature of ADHD using data from the Slate Star Codex survey. He finds that while people with ADHD do show slightly higher rejection sensitivity than those without psychiatric conditions, it's not as dramatic as some claim, and ADHD actually shows the lowest rejection sensitivity among the psychiatric conditions studied. The post critiques the lack of formal evidence for this claim, discusses potential Forer effects, and emphasizes the need for caution when adopting new ideas about psychiatric symptoms, especially those spread in patient communities without formal research backing. Shorter summary