What does your favourite fruitcake say about you? Are you a wallflower or a social butterfly? Should the Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor or Slytherin? Which F.R.I.E.N.D.S character are you? Thus go some of the quirky personality quizzes I stumbled across online recently. A viral trend on Instagram this year was the Cosmos Persona Quiz. It categorises you into celestial bodies like Nebula, Black Hole or Supernova based on your responses. Then there are the classic what-do-you-see Freudian illusion tests that assess you based on your interpretations of images. So why are these quizzes, with no scientific backing, an instant hit among Gen-Zers? They give these young soul-searchers a sense of fulfilment in their journey of self-discovery.
Just admit it: After coming across a magazine zodiac section that goes something like, "You trust your gut feelings" you have told yourself, "Wow, that's so me!" If a roadside palmist tells you, "You often doubt yourself," you might nod to that, too. Two contrasting remarks but both oddly feel personal to you. That's the Barnum effect-a feeling that a random remark about human traits is specifically about you. These online quizzes are no different they tell you what you want to hear, whether it is fruitcakes, F.R.I.E.N.D.S or Freudian.
"Who am I?" It is a cross-cultural and trans-historical question that has kept sages, scientists and maybe even your neighbour's Saint Bernard up at night. The Upanishads explore the ideas of Aham Brahmasmi (I am the ultimate reality) and Tat Tvam Asi (You are That). In the early 20th century, Ramana Maharshi's practice of Atma Vichara (self reflection) became popular in the west, inspiring contemporaries like Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung.
Denne historien er fra November 03, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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Denne historien er fra November 03, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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PRESSURE POINTS
Author and MP Shashi Tharoor and motivational speaker Gaur Gopal Das on how to find healing and meaning in today's world
MEDICINE WITH PURPOSE
Artificial intelligence should not replace but rather aid doctors, said experts at THE WEEK’s Health Summit
NOTES ON AN AGEING PLANET
Edited excerpts from a talk by Dr Madhu Sasidhar, president and CEO of Apollo’s hospitals division
NAUTICAL MAKEOVER
THE WEEK Maritime Conclave 2024 will dive deep into the new Indian narrative being scripted on the seas
FIRST DAY FIRST SHOW
Vijay's political party launch was a huge success, but its long-term prospects depend on winning over rural voters
India-China: back to basics
The Narendra Modi-Xi Jinping handshake in Kazan provides the right opportunity to ask the most basic question: what is our longterm perspective on India-China relations?
War over wounded earth
For the BJP andthe Congress, the ravaged farmlands of Vidarbha represent a cxitieal battleground in their larger struggle to win Maharashtra
I will deliver Balasaheb Thackeray's dream-slum-free Mumbai
What have been your achievements while being in office? A/ My achievements have been three-fold—accessibility, infrastructure and welfare.
DRAMA BEFORE ACTION
DISSENSIONS, PARTIES LOANING CANDIDATES TO ALLIES... THIS ASSEMBLY ELECTION IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER
Judgment reserved
Justice Chandrachud’s record as CJI appears to be a mixed bag, while his successor, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, will always be compared with his uncle, Justice H.R. Khanna, who stood up to the government during Emergency