Emily Chan
We live in unprecedented, uncertain times, and this precariousness is felt more and more every day. As a result, some people have turned to the stars to seek comfort and guidance. As such, astrology has become a growing sector on social media.
Astrology is the study of the positions and movements of celestial objects and what influence they have on human affairs.
When something goes wrong, the misfortune can be blamed on the stars or planets being out of alignment. Astrology can also determine what kind of partner you should choose or the best time to ask for a pay raise.
According to a 2017 survey taken by the Pew Research Center, nearly 30 percent of Americans believe in astrology.
However, a new study has found that there is really no evidence to support the validity of astrologers’ readings. Ultimately, astrologers are confident in their predictions but are no better at it than random chance.
Earlier this year, a team of scientists examined several characteristics of 308 people, such as religiousness and political persuasion, and their various life outcomes, such as their achievements, mental well-being, and how busy their social lives were.
They used the Sun signs in the zodiac to measure these traits and found no connection. However, they received criticism from astrologers who said that they factored in “entire astrological charts” when doing their readings.
So, the team decided to partner with six astrologers to come up with a better test to see whether astrologers could match people with their corresponding charts.
The test was given to 152 astrologers to see if they could perform better than random chance. The results revealed that more experienced astrologers had higher levels of confidence about how many of the 12 people they had accurately assigned to their star sign.
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