How Much Truth Is There in Astrology?

If you still sit in front of the television and the PMC horoscope program influences you, unfortunately we must tell you that you are under the influence of the “Barnum effect” or the “Forer effect.” For decades, centuries, and perhaps millennia, from itinerant fortune-tellers whose catchphrase was “let me tell your fortune,” to sharply dressed individuals in suits who speak at conferences on “the effects of cosmic energy on you” about the influence of stars and planets on your personality, satellite channels, too, with their flashy, multi-minute videos giving you news of the imminent future, have added insult to injury. Interestingly, all of these cases attempt to predict the future and try to solve your problems.

Despite numerous studies and clarifications refuting “the influence of planets and the cosmos on your personality and temperament,” why do so many people still show interest in these kinds of absurd horoscopes and predictions?

If you still sit in front of the television and the PMC horoscope program influences you; or if, after hearing the words of an itinerant fortune-teller, you still say to yourself, “He’s right…!”, unfortunately we must tell you that you are under the influence of the “Barnum effect” or the “Forer effect.” The Barnum effect is named after a circus owner named P. T. Barnum. It is worth noting that Barnum’s shows were famous for having “something for everyone.”

In 1948, a psychology professor named Bertram Forer, in a personality test, asked his students to answer some questions. Regardless of the students’ answers, Forer gave exactly these 3 sentences in response to each of their tests:

• You have a high tendency to criticize your own personality.
• You have a high need to receive attention and admiration from others.
• You have many abilities that you have not yet been able to put to good use.

A few days later, Forer asked the students to rate the correspondence and equivalence of these descriptions and traits compared to their own personality on a scale of 1 to 5; 1 being the least and 5 the most similarity. After collecting the scores and calculating the average, Forer arrived at the number “4.26,” which meant that the majority of individuals considered the text to be an assessment extremely close to their personal traits. The interesting point was that Forer had taken these 3 sentences randomly from the horoscope section of a weekly magazine and had given exactly these same three sentences, identically and equally, to all the individuals!

Forer considers the reason for the believability of such horoscopes, apart from the nature of the teller and the fortune itself, to lie more in the gullibility of the fortune-seekers. He says that in such horoscopes and fortunes, people are often searching for their suppressed wishes and desires rather than new, unheard-of, and unknown news; so, in reality, people do not want to know anything about the future; they are more waiting to hear words that are a balm for the bitter repressions of their past. For example, in Forer’s experiment, the sentence “You have many abilities that you have not yet been able to put to good use” emphasizes this very point: that you are a talented person, but circumstances have blocked your way. Otherwise, your approach is correct!

This type of attitude and approach by individuals confirms the psychological phenomenon of the “Pollyanna principle”: the mind’s bias toward hearing or receiving positive feedback and, on the other hand, fleeing from and ignoring negative feedback. For instance, we very easily remember the beautiful and pleasant events of our lives, and conversely, low-intensity, unpleasant daily events quickly fade into the depths of our memory.

In the continuation of the article, we will introduce you to 10 methods so that you do not fall into the trap of such individuals, and also, if you are looking for a new line of work, you can use these cases and get busy fleecing those around you!

1. The first point for fortune-telling and astrology is having high "self-confidence". Individuals who can speak with high confidence in certain situations, even if there is no significant scientific-theoretical backing behind their claims, make the tone of their speech lend credibility to their assertions.

2. Using research, statistics, figures, questionnaires, and academic surveys available in databases and journals. With such information, one can easily guess, to some extent, the socio-economic status of different social classes and use this information to influence the recipient of the fortune-telling.

3. Professional astrologers are usually good psychologists. They buy time with small, general claims and, during the conversation, guess specific characteristics from your words, personality, and behavior.

4. Using a crystal ball, tarot cards, or even holding hands in palm reading gives the fortune-teller enough time to think and analyze the other person's personality. For example, hands becoming cold might be seen as a sign of the individual's discomfort with the fortune-teller's previous claim.

5. Having ready-made, general statements and points that fit any personality and background, and which encourage and build trust in the fortune-teller.

6. A sharp eye; many traits of different people can be gleaned from their style of dress, face, makeup, jewelry, and other such things.

7. Using the technique of casting a wide net and presenting claims in the form of a question. Many fortune-tellers try to guess and speculate about more general matters by asking minor questions, and undoubtedly these are not without error. If you have ever experienced a fortune-telling session, you have certainly noticed that among the claims made, there are usually a few incorrect ones. But according to the psychological principle of "confirmation bias", we rely more on the points that confirm our personality and character than on the incorrect and negative ones.

8. Dramatizing the fortune-telling; undoubtedly, in a fortune-telling session, a professional fortune-teller will guess some things about your personality. Such individuals do not explain their perception to you all at once but try to tell you these things gradually throughout the entire fortune-telling process to keep your trust at a high level for the duration of the interview.

9. Using equivocation; that is, many statements and claims can be presented in a way that allows the listener to derive several different meanings from them. This technique is one of the most widely used methods in fortune-telling, astrology, and this type of charlatanism.

10. The last and golden rule is that you must tell people what they want to hear. They have not come to be criticized or humiliated, and most of the time, supportive and encouraging statements appeal to the taste of such gullible individuals!

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Sources: Psychologytoday | Psych.Fullerton.edu | Apsychoserver.Psych.arizona.edu | Skepdic.com

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How Much Truth Is There in Astrology?

Compiled by the esteemed Vidoal website

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