Reading your horoscope is just a bit of fun, but some people take it very seriously. They believe astrology is real and that when and where you were born has a major effect on the type of person you are and the things that happen in your life. Is that true? Not particularly, and a recent study claims that those who believe in astrology are less intelligent and way more narcissistic than those who see it as total bologna.
- Researchers at Lund University in Sweden performed the study. By analyzing data, published in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, researchers found a positive correlation between believing in astrology — think horoscopes, birth charts, etc. — and higher levels of narcissism as well as lower levels of intelligence. Yikes!
- It gets worse for those who believe in astrology. The study also found that those who are into horoscopes and star signs and the like are also way more likely to believe in other pseudosciences such as Reiki, Full Moon Lunacy, and Wave Genetic Therapy. “Though embracing astrology might seem innocent, it is nonetheless possible that it facilitates uncritical thinking and favors biases,” the researchers stated.
- More people started to believe in astrology during Covid-19. This is because trying times tend to cause people to seek ways to self-comfort or find meaning in their experience. As the authors remarked: “Belief in astrology correlates with belief in multiple other pseudosciences as well as with belief in conspiracy theories (Bensley et al., 2020) which indicates that it might not be all that harmless.”
- As long as you see it as fun, there’s no problem. However, if you truly believe it has control over events and start to live your life by astrology, that’s when things become a bit more concerning. Read your horoscope if you’d like, but don’t convince yourself that it really means anything.