Is there any science in astrology?

Astrology

“Astrology is a pseudoscience that claims to divine information about human affairs and terrestrial events by studying the movements and relative positions of celestial objects.”

Wikipedia
(retrieved May 2020)

Astrology has been dated to almost 3000 years ago and many cultures have attached importance to astronomical events. It was developed long before the concept of modern science. We have since discovered that the Earth, instead of being the centre of the universe, is orbiting around the Sun among other planets in the Solar System, which in turn is only a small part of the apparently infinite universe. The axis of the Earth has even moved since then. NASA has pointed out that the sky today is completely different to how it was back then. There is even a 13th zodiac sign now, Ophiuchus. It is situated behind the sun from November 29 to December 18, as defined by the 1930 International Astronomical Union’s constellation boundaries. NASA said that they did not change the Zodiac signs, they just did the math.

More on this: NASA Elegantly Shuts Down Those New Zodiac Star Theories

So why is astrology still relevant today? The fact that almost all major newspapers have a section for horoscopes speaks for its popularity. Why do people read horoscopes then? Do people really see their future in it? What does it actually do?

The observations

In a study conducted a few years ago, reading positive horoscope increased positive interpretation of events, cognitive performance and creativity. It also decreased negative emotions among people who believe in astrology. The researchers concluded that reading horoscopes in the newspapers have more consequences than one may think.

Reference: Clobert M, et al. (2016). Good day for Leos: Horoscope’s influence on perception, cognitive performances, and creativity. Personality and Individual Differences. [Link]

Barnum Effect

“Barnum Effect, also called Forer Effect, in psychology, the phenomenon that occurs when individuals believe that personality descriptions apply specifically to them (more so than to other people), despite the fact that the description is actually filled with information that applies to everyone.”

Encyclopedia Britannica
(retrieved May 2020)

In the original study, the participants were given a test for personality evaluation. They later received results made to be perceived as personal with their names on it. When asked whether they felt that test had done a good job, virtually all of them agreed, despite the fact that the results given to the participants were all identical with vague and generic statements. The famous study demonstrated that things do not need to be accurate to be perceived as accurate.

Barnum Effect works best for statements that are positive. People are much less likely to believe that a statement applies to them when it is a negative statement. In a way, it can be compared to the placebo effect produced by an inert substance or treatment. The horoscopes work because the reader, perhaps subconsciously, wants to believe them and wants them to work. This might help explain the inner working of astrology.

Reference: Forer BR. (1949). The Fallacy of Personal Validation: A Classroom Demonstration of Gullibility. The Journal of Abnormal Psychology. [Link]

Some thoughts

As many of us have got to spend a little more time at home in the current outbreak, I happened to have come across some interesting facts about astrology recently. It is not my intention to promote astrology. I found the results in the studies and the psychology around them pretty interesting though. Do you read horoscopes in the newspapers? Or do you know someone who is a huge fan of it? What do you think?