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Frequency illusion, also known as the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon or frequency bias, is a cognitive bias referring to the tendency to notice something more often after noticing it for the first time, leading to the belief that it has an increased frequency of occurrence[1]. This phenomenon occurs due to increased awareness of a phrase, idea, or object, such as hearing a song more often or seeing red cars everywhere after learning about them[1].

The main causes behind frequency illusion are selective attention and confirmation bias[1]. Selective attention refers to the process of selecting and focusing on relevant stimuli while ignoring distractions, meaning that people have the unconscious cognitive ability to filter for relevant information[1]. Confirmation bias occurs when an individual affected by frequency illusion starts looking for reassurance of this increased frequency, believing their theories to be confirmed as they focus only on the supporting evidence[1].

Frequency illusion can have various consequences, ranging from harmless to serious outcomes. For example, in the fields of criminology and medicine, it can lead to misdiagnoses or missed key information[2]. In the case of people with certain psychological disorders, such as schizophrenia, frequency illusion may aggravate their conditions by causing them to confirm their own suspicions based on their delusions[3]. For most people, however, frequency illusion is an interesting phenomenon that does not lead to major effects[3].

Citations: [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frequency_illusion [2] https://news.ucdenver.edu/what-is-the-frequency-illusion/ [3] https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/what-is-frequency-illusion [4] https://newristics.com/heuristics-biases/frequency-illusion [5] https://www.scribbr.com/research-bias/baader-meinhof-phenomenon/