SOULS FOR SALE

Soul-searching has become commodified through personality tests, which can help you learn about your psyche—at a premium

- SACHIN JOSE

What does your favourite fruitcake say about you? Are you a wallflower or a social butterfly? Should the Sorting Hat put you in Gryffindor or Slytherin? Which F.R.I.E.N.D.S character are you? Thus go some of the quirky personality quizzes I stumbled across online recently. A viral trend on Instagram this year was the Cosmos Persona Quiz. It categorises you into celestial bodies like Nebula, Black Hole or Supernova based on your responses. Then there are the classic what-do-you-see Freudian illusion tests that assess you based on your interpretations of images. So why are these quizzes, with no scientific backing, an instant hit among Gen-Zers? They give these young soul-searchers a sense of fulfilment in their journey of self-discovery.

Just admit it: After coming across a magazine zodiac section that goes something like, "You trust your gut feelings" you have told yourself, "Wow, that's so me!" If a roadside palmist tells you, "You often doubt yourself," you might nod to that, too. Two contrasting remarks but both oddly feel personal to you. That's the Barnum effect-a feeling that a random remark about human traits is specifically about you. These online quizzes are no different they tell you what you want to hear, whether it is fruitcakes, F.R.I.E.N.D.S or Freudian.

"Who am I?" It is a cross-cultural and trans-historical question that has kept sages, scientists and maybe even your neighbour's Saint Bernard up at night. The Upanishads explore the ideas of Aham Brahmasmi (I am the ultimate reality) and Tat Tvam Asi (You are That). In the early 20th century, Ramana Maharshi's practice of Atma Vichara (self reflection) became popular in the west, inspiring contemporaries like Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung.