The frequency illusion

Train your brain to see the good

We’ve got a fun psychology topic on the docket today team!

As an undergrad psychology student, I spent a lot of time learning about how the brain works. How it processes information, protects us, and sometimes even plays tricks on us. One of my favorite concepts I came across in my Cognitive Psychology class was something called the frequency illusion.

You’ve probably experienced it, even if you didn’t know what to call it. It’s that moment when you get a new car, then suddenly, it’s everywhere. You had never seen this model before and now it seems like you can’t drive a mile without seeing 5 of them.

I was reminded of this idea last month when I decided to get a yellow color on my nails. I typically go for something darker or more simple, maybe a maroon, a french tip, or even black. But I wanted to switch it up, so I went with a fun yellow.

Almost immediately after that trip to the salon, I started seeing the color yellow EVERYWHERE. The flowers on the side of the road… yellow. The details on my favorite mug… yellow. The poster at the coffee shop with an inspirational quote… yellow.

I couldn’t escape from seeing yellow—in the best way possible. That’s because yellow screams positivity, light, and joy. So every time I saw more of what matched my nails, I smiled. These moments, no matter how small, added something to my day.

Here’s the thing, it’s not because I got yellow nails that the town I live in decided to start putting more yellow items out. Or that I bought more yellow trinkets because it matched them. It’s that my brain got tuned in to the yellow that’s been there all along.

And that right there is where the magic lies. Because if your brain can be trained to notice something more often, like a color or a car model… it can also be trained to notice other moments. The good ones. The things already in front of you that you might just be missing.

Let’s talk about it.

The frequency illusion is a cognitive bias, a mental shortcut. Basically, a way our brain filters and interprets information to help us make sense of the world quickly. It’s not always accurate, but it’s efficient. And it shapes our reality more than we realize.

Think of it like this: your brain is constantly flooded with data. Every sound, color, word, and face around you is more data. If your brain really tried to process everything with equal weight, it would explode. So instead, it uses shortcuts to focus your attention, fill in the gaps, and help you make quick judgments. These shortcuts are often shaped by your past experiences, emotions, beliefs, expectations, and priming.

Some cognitive biases help us survive, like constantly being on alert for danger. While others lead us to misinterpret things, jump to conclusions, or only notice what confirms what we already believe. There are dozens of them that you might have heard of—confirmation bias, hindsight bias, and of course, the frequency illusion (also called the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, but who knows how to pronounce that.) You guys get the gist.

The key point? Cognitive biases shape what we see. And what we see shapes our reality. So once you become aware and start paying attention to how your brain uses these shortcuts, you can actually use them to your advantage. To change your perception, experience, mood, and how you show up.

The frequency illusion shows how our attention changes what we notice. Priming is simply a way to guide that attention on purpose. Just like my yellow nails helped me spot yellow everywhere, we can prime our minds to pay attention to the things that lift us. Gratitude. Growth. Kindness. Progress. We can shift our mental filters to catch moments of joy in places we’d usually overlook or spaces where our attention is on the negatives.

You might think this sounds like toxic positivity. Like we’re trying to just avoid the bad or pretend it doesn’t exist. But I think you guys know by now that I don’t support that. Life is messy. Some moments just suck, and they need to suck. You need to feel them fully in order to move through, process, and grow from them. There are seasons where the only thing to do is survive and wait for the hard to soften. Letting time do its work.

But there are also times—especially in the gray, in-between spaces—when these psychological tricks can actually help. They can lift you. Remind you that better days are possible. They can spark hope when things feel heavy.

Or they can pull you out of a spiral when you just need a shift in perspective. Because your brain may just as easily be running the frequency illusion in the other direction. Where you only notice the negatives and everything that’s going wrong. And if that’s where your focus goes, that’s all you’ll start to see.

Because the way I see it—if our brains are wired to notice where our attention is guided, why not focus on what fuels us? This way, we can play the game in our favor. So our reality is shaped around the things that help us become happier, more grounded, more resilient, and more impactful versions of ourselves.

If your brain notices more of what you prime it to see, then the trick is to set up simple cues. Here are a few ways to create your own ‘yellow nails,’ small anchors that tune your brain in the right direction:

• Carry a keepsake or symbol that means something to you

• Add small bursts of color to your space

• Place affirmations where you’ll see them

• Start or end the day by writing one thing you’re grateful for

• Send someone a compliment, a good morning, or a thank you

• Keep photos of your favorite people, pets, or memories in sight

I swear by these. I do them. They might look funny or even silly on paper. But they work. They help me notice more moments of gratitude, color, positivity, and connection—instead of getting stuck on the frustrations, doubts, or comparisons that would’ve stolen my attention otherwise. These small shifts don’t erase the negatives, but they keep me from letting them accumulate.

These tiny cues aren’t magic, but they create patterns. They gently shift your awareness. We won’t get too far into the idea of neuroplasticity today, but the more you practice these patterns of good, the more your brain starts leaning on positive shortcuts instead of negative ones. Then over time, your brain starts to do the work for you—helping you see the good even without the reminders or cues in the future.

So no, my yellow nails didn’t change the world. But they changed what I noticed in it.

And that shift—the ability to see what’s already good, already present, already working—is a skill worth practicing. For both yourself, shaping your reality in the best way. And also for the people around you, so you put yourself in a position to spread positive impact.

Your brain is wired to notice what you give attention to. Give it something worth noticing. Let the frequency illusion work in your favor.

Set your cues. Find what works for you. See the good, and see it often.

MAKE YOUR IMPACT!