Readers often see the same tarot cards very differently, not because tarot doesn’t have meaning, but because our brains are savvy meaning-making machines that have their own biases. Here, we look into the shortcuts that our brains take that shape how we interpret things and then give you some handy tips for reading tarot more fairly. When we're aware of these biases, we can actually use psychology to boost the insights we get from tarot instead of making them less impactful.
"The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend." — Robertson Davies
Have you ever caught sight of a face peeking back at you from the knots in a wooden door? Or maybe you've seen dragons and castles floating through the clouds? Your brain isn't just passively absorbing images of wood grain or wisps of vapor—it's actively piecing together meaning, spotting patterns, and weaving tales. This amazing skill, known as pareidolia, doesn't take a break when you pull out your tarot deck. If anything, it kicks into high gear.
When we spread out our cards, we're not just looking at random pictures; we're building stories, noticing patterns, and finding meaning that resonates with us personally. That ability to make meaning is what makes tarot such a great tool for self-reflection and insight. But it also opens us up to cognitive biases—and these are the mental shortcuts that can sometimes mislead us.
Confirmation Bias: Finding What We're Looking For
Subconsciously, we all play favourites when it comes to information; our brains naturally lean towards the facts that back up our existing beliefs, while conveniently forgetting or dismissing anything that contradicts them.
If you think your relationship is on the rocks, suddenly every Sword in your reading feels like it's warning you about heartbreak lurking around the corner. That Page of Cups that's usually so hopeful? In those moments, it must be talking about something else altogether.
Recently, I did a reading for someone who was convinced their partner was cheating. Throughout the spread, we'd drawn almost every pentacle in the deck, which usually points to everyday work stuff, or an indication of the shared values within the relationship. Hoever, what really caught their attention was when the Seven of Swords came out as the last card. Sure, this card can hint at a deception, but it can also be about being strategic or having independence; but upon seeing the Seven of Swords, they completely brushed off all the other cards and focused only on their own narrative, which completely drowned out everything else that the cards were trying to show them.
This is not just a rookie error—it affects every single one of us. Research by Max Rollwage and his team reveals that there's an additional component to this: when people hold strong beliefs, they will often dig their heels in even deeper when confronted with contradictory evidence. Instead of taking a step back to rethink, it seems instead that it's human nature to double down. Psychologists have a name for this—the 'backfire effect'. It's like our brains are running their own bizarre internal advertising campaign: 'All evidence that supports my current views? Now 50% more convincing! And everything that goes against me? It's a massive 75% off!'
Give this a shot: For each card, push yourself to come up with three different meanings beyond the first thing that comes into your head. This little exercise can help you avoid what psychologists call 'premature cognitive closure'—that's when your brain latches onto the first explanation it finds and shuts down all the other possibilities before they even have a chance to surface.
The Barnum Effect: When Vague Statements Feel Uncannily Personal
"You have a need for other people to like and admire you, yet you tend to be critical of yourself."
Did that statement feel oddly accurate? That's what we call the Barnum Effect (sometimes known as the Forer Effect). It's named after the showman P.T. Barnum, who advertised his shows as having 'something for everyone.' The Barnum effect relates to our ability for taking those vague, general statements and putting ourselves directly in the center of them.
Psychologist Bertram Forer demonstrated this beautifully in 1948: He handed out what his students believed were customized personality assessments. The students all thought that their assessment had been written specifically about them. It was only when he asked them to start reading them aloud to the whole class that they realised that every assessment was the same, filled with vague and fluffy statements lifted right out of horoscopes. Yet before they were let in on the secret, the students had rated the accuracy at an impressive 4.26 out of 5!
Tarot readings can easily trigger this same effect: For instance, phrases like "you've been feeling a bit lost lately" or "you've faced some letdowns in your relationships" tend to hit home for just about anyone. These phrases are not so much about magical insight, but instead that they are part of the human experience, and we can all relate to them in our own way.
Tarot isn't just about making vague statements feel personal; it's really about sifting through the noise to find real insights that resonate. When a reading hits the mark in a spooky way, take a moment to ponder: 'How many folks would relate to this?' If the answer is 'most people over 25,' you might just be caught in the Barnum Effect instead of receiving some deep wisdom. That's not to say that we can't find meaning in those vague statements, but it's important to remember that they can be a bit of a double-edged sword.
Recency Bias: When Today Colours Everything
Had a little spat this morning? Suddenly, it feels like every reversed card is just pointing out the conflict. Got some exciting news at work? Now it seems like every Pentacle is whispering sweet nothings about prosperity.
This is what we refer to as recency bias: when we give more importance or overvalue things that have happened recently. Since those experiences are fresh in our memory, they basically become our go-to point of reference for interpreting things, like, you know, cards.
I've noticed this in my own reading experiences: After a couple of career setbacks, I kept seeing the Hermit card as just about isolation and withdrawing from everything for weeks. But once I dusted myself off and got back on track, that same card suddenly opened up to show its brighter side—like the journey of wisdom and the beauty of taking a step back on purpose. The card itself hadn't really changed - it was only my perspective that had.
If you want to tackle recency bias, give this little mental trick a go: before diving into your interpretation, pause and ask yourself, 'How would I view this card if today had been totally different?' This tiny shift gives you the breathing room to step back and see things beyond just what's right in front of you.
Anchoring Bias: First Impressions That Won't Budge
Imagine you're doing a reading (or you're getting one), and you draw the Tower as your first card. That jolt from seeing lightning hit a crumbling tower really sets a dramatic tone for everything that comes after. This is what they call anchoring bias—it's our natural instinct to latch onto that first bit of information we see.
Anchoring affects tarot in several ways:
- The first card tends to set the stage for how we view the whole reading.
- Sometimes, the very first thing we learn about a card can shape how we see the image, even if what we're looking at tells a different story.
- The most striking card in a spread can really shape how we feel about it.
To shake things up a bit, try flipping the script by reading your spreads backwards or in a totally random order. This way, the first card won't hog all the attention and set a too-heavy vibe for everything else that follows. It's like refusing to let the dramatic opening scene dictate the entire plot of your film.
Why Two Readers See Different Stories
When two seasoned tarot readers flip over the same cards, they can spin completely different stories from them. This doesn't mean tarot is just a bunch of nonsense; instead, it shows how our individual ways of thinking shape the way we see things. Let's say you draw the Ten of Swords along with The Star. A reader who's gone through the pain of betrayal and come out the other side might view this as a sign of healing after all that struggle. Meanwhile, another reader might lean into the astrological vibes, interpreting it as a message about a mental fresh start.
There's no right or wrong here—they're just tapping into different mental libraries of ideas. The best readers are mindful of their own biases while also being open to new perspectives.
Practical Techniques for More Objective Readings
Question Everything
Tap into your inner Socrates and start questioning everything around you, especially your own beliefs. For every perspective you consider, ask yourself:
- What evidence in the card supports this reading?
- What contradicts it?
- What assumptions am I making?
- How would someone with a different perspective interpret this?
Studies show that looking at different opinions can help us be less biased, but it only works if we really engage with those opinions instead of just brushing them off. Simply nodding at what others think and then sticking to our own views isn't enough.
Track Your Surprises
Make sure to set aside a special spot in your tarot journal for those surprising interpretations or the ones that took a rather unexpected turn. When you go back through this collection, keep an eye out for any compelling patterns that pop up!
- Which cards do you consistently interpret in limited ways?
- What life situations tend to skew your readings?
- Which cognitive biases appear most frequently?
This self-audit helps build metacognition—the ability to observe your own thinking. The more you practice this, the better you'll get at spotting your own biases and how they affect your readings.
Play Devil's Advocate
When you're doing an important reading, try pushing back against what you initially think. If your first impression of the Emperor points towards setting strict rules, argue instead for being open and adaptable. This technique makes you think about different viewpoints before you land on your final take. At first, it may feel a bit goofy—like having a debate with your own reflection—but it really does work wonders in discovering perspectives you might not have thought of otherwise.
When Biases Actually Help
Not every mental shortcut we take is a bad thing! In fact, some of them are actually bits of wisdom that we've built into our brains over time. The way you connect seemingly random cards into clear stories is actually similar to how our ancestors figured out which animals were dangerous and which weren't. That feeling you get when something in a reading seems off? That could be your subconscious picking up on tiny patterns that you might not even realize are there.
According to psychologist Gerd Gigerenzer, it turns out that those quick mental shortcuts we often use can actually help us make better decisions in certain situations, rather than just relying on deep analysis. The key isn't to try to wipe out all biases—that's pretty much impossible! Instead, it's about figuring out when those biases are working for us and when they're not.
The Dance Between Intuition and Awareness
Getting a grip on cognitive biases doesn't take away from the magic of tarot—it actually makes it even more meaningful. The cards aren't just about predicting the future; they're a fantastic tool for exploring our thoughts and feelings, working hand in hand with the quirks of our minds.
The best readers are the ones who adopt what psychologist Philip Tetlock calls the "fox mindset." This means they look at things from different angles, stay humble and open-minded about what they know, and constantly adjust their views and interpretations when they come across new information. By understanding how your brain processes information—its strengths and its occasional blind spots— you can transform tarot readings into meaningful conversations, rather than tabloid horoscopes.
Your brain's knack for making meaning isn't standing in the way of getting things right—in fact, it's the secret sauce that fuels your interpretations. By getting a better grip on how your mind works, you can master these tools and turn what might feel like limitations into your biggest strengths.
You know, when we spot faces in wooden doors or see animals in clouds, it's not just a trick our brains play on us. It's actually the same amazing skill that lets us recognize ourselves in the cards. And honestly, that's not a flaw—it's really what it's all about.
Further Reading
Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman
Kahneman posits that there are two distinct systems that govern our thought processes. There's System 1—the quick, gut-feeling part of us that often leads the charge with its speedy, emotional instincts. Then there's the more methodical System 2, which takes its sweet time, prioritizing logic and careful analysis. Kahneman brilliantly unpacks how these two systems influence our choices and judgments, often without us even realizing it.
Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious - Gerd Gigerenzer
is a thought-provoking take on the idea that our biases are always a bad thing. Gigerenzer points out that sometimes, our gut instincts can actually help us make better decisions than getting bogged down in complex analyses. This perspective is particularly relevant when we think about how intuition plays a role in practices like tarot readings.
Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me) - Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson
Offers a fascinating journey into the world of self-justification and cognitive dissonance, exploring why admitting our faults can feel so tough. This book brings the idea of confirmation bias to life, making for a reading experience that's both a little uncomfortable and super enlightening.
Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction - Philip E. Tetlock and Dan Gardner
While not about tarot cards specifically, the authors look into the interesting habits that set super forecasters apart. Their insights into what they call the 'fox mindset' mentioned above, and how it can enhance your tarot reading skills. Who knew a little humility could go such a long way?
Online Resources
The Decision Lab gives you straightforward insights into various cognitive biases, complete with examples you can actually relate to.
Simply Psychology breaks down classic psychological cognitive bias studies and concepts in a way that's super easy to understand. They keep things clear and accessible, steering clear of too much fancy jargon while staying spot on with the information.
