Have you herd of the red car syndrome?

Basically, it means that if you are suddenly interested in buying a red car or have decided to look up prices to buy a red car, suddenly you will notice an increase in its market rate or perhaps there will be a shortage. Moreover, it will feel like the object that you require (red car) is being taken away from you. This is red car syndrome.

What does it mean?

This feeling of paranoia that someone is plotting to keep you from obtaining the red car is completely false. In fact, the reason you feel this way is because you recently became aware of red cars, or found an interest in them. This caused you to notice its market rate more. You started looking up models and availability. You were not aware of the status of red cars before you developed an interest in them.

A fancy name for this feeling is...

"Baader-Meinhof Phenomenon". I have experienced this firsthand. Whenever I learn a new word, I spot it more readily being used in everyday literature like newspapers, internet articles, twitter, et cetera.

It is not that the word started being used as soon as I noticed it, it is just that I recently became aware of it. This is why I readily spot it.

History Of the Unusual Name

No, the name is not based on the person(s) who discovered it but the persons who were discovered by it. Let me explain.

There was a German gang sometime ago, everybody became aware of it. And the more they became aware of it, the more it was mentioned. Think of it as a viral trend like feather eyebrows or that Shark game parents were afraid their children would be playing. That gang name became viral and right about that time, this behavior pattern was being observed and written in literature. Hence, they opted for this already famous name for this very common feeling.

The Human Brain and Learning

Isn't it beautiful that the human brain is constantly spotting new things every now and then. Even the mere fact that someone noticed this pattern and decided to engrave it in literal so we can all have a proven concrete evidence of this mutual feeling.