In an era when gut feelings often compete with expert opinions, psychologists at the University of Amsterdam have created something unexpected: a ruler for measuring how much people trust their own instincts over facts. They've named it "Youniversalism," and it might help bridge the gap between personal truth and shared reality.
The concept emerged from growing concern about what happens when emotions outweigh evidence. "If we knew this, we could present scientific information differently," said Bastiaan Rutjens, a psychologist at the UvA and one of the researchers behind the work. "For example, less in terms of 'dry facts' and more through stories and personal experiences."
The term itself blends "you" and "universalism" to capture a worldview where the individual becomes the center of meaning-making. Developed by researchers including Rutjens and lead author Julius März, the scale was tested on more than 1,500 people and measures two distinct but related beliefs: that truth is something you feel, and that truth is relative to each person. High scorers might agree with statements like "I trust my gut feeling to know what is true" or "What is true depends on the context."
What makes this research significant is what it could help solve. The team found that people who score higher on Youniversalism tend to be more skeptical of science—and more drawn to ideas like raw milk health fads or coronavirus conspiracy theories, not because they're irrational, but because information that doesn't match their internal sense of truth simply doesn't land.
The research also revealed an interesting pattern: people who describe themselves as "spiritual but not religious" tend to score higher on Youniversalism and lower on trust in science. This isn't a judgment—it's a map. And maps, the researchers hope, can help.
Doctors facing patients who reject medical advice, communicators trying to share evidence, and policymakers working across polarized communities all face the same challenge: how do you reach someone whose truth comes from within? The Youniversalism scale offers a way to identify those audiences and tailor approaches accordingly. Instead of drowning someone in data, the research suggests, try stories. Instead of arguing against feeling, work with it.
"This scale allows us to measure that," Rutjens said—a small but meaningful sentence that points toward something larger. Understanding how people determine truth isn't about winning debates. It's about finding language everyone can speak.