The Rainbow Ruse

If you look up the word “ruse” in the dictionary you get definitions such as “a crafty strategem or subterfuge.” You will also see definitions like “an action or plan intended to deceive someone.” So, basically you have a strategy that you can use to mislead someone. An example would be for an adversary to purposely leak out false information during times of war. Another example would be spreading false rumors about somebody to further yourself. People who claim to be psychics use a method called cold reading to get information from people to make their readings seem accurate. The rainbow ruse is a commonly used cold reading technique used to extract information from people.

Here is how it goes. You start off by saying something very general about a personality trait that probably applies to a lot of people (one side of the rainbow). Then you say the opposite thing (the other side of the rainbow). One part of the rainbow will most likely apply to you. Curiously, people tend to overlook the part that doesn’t apply to them because they are taken by the seeming accuracy of the other part. It’s a kind of selective bias we have. Cold readers are aware of this bias and exploit your feedback to continue their reading.

Here are some examples:You are a talented and creative person, however most people don’t appreciate your talents. You like quiet evenings at home but sometimes you like to cut loose and be the life of the party. You are good at what you do and put yourself into your work but sometimes you like to get away and play like a kid. You are pleasant and easy going, but you sometimes get angry when somebody wrongs you.

You get the idea. The rainbow ruse opens the door for so-called psychics and fortune tellers. The feedback you provide gives them ideas for how to continue the reading. The best way to derail a so-called psychic is to not give them feedback. If they ask you questions, tell them you thought the idea was that you were supposed to ask the questions. If they use the rainbow ruse, say something to the effect that what they just said contradicts itself. The best way not to get hoodwinked by a so-called psychic is to just avoid them. But you never know, one of those psychics might really have the gift. At times you are very discerning and evaluate things before you make a decision, but at other times you are very impulsive and throw caution to the wind…