Understanding the Bader-Meinhof Phenomenon

The Bader-Meinhof phenomenon, named after a 1970s West German terrorist group, describes the quirk of suddenly noticing something frequently after first encountering it. This pattern often occurs when a person learns a new name or concept, subsequently feeling overwhelmed by its presence in their environment. For instance, after hearing about a specific car model, an individual may notice it everywhere on the road, despite never having seen it before. This phenomenon highlights how our perception can create an illusion of increased frequency based on selective attention rather than actual prevalence.