We live in a time where realism and straight facts are the goal for today’s millennials. Despite young people’s dedication to “cold hard facts,” astrology and the study of zodiac signs has become increasingly popular. People are relying on zodiac predictions to reveal the future. People are searching for who they will marry, their perfect partner and even, the person to raise children with solely based on their zodiac sign. Astrology has raised a new sense of hope for society and future generations.
People used to think horoscopes were just a bunch of silly fortune-telling with no purpose, but now an abundance of people use applications and online resources to read their own personal horoscope for the day. Some people read their horoscope religiously, and others take a glance every other day or so. Nonetheless, horoscopes have helped people find a sense of self, confidence and identity.
“This temptation to read personal meaning into a general description is recognized by psychologists, who refer to it as the Barnum Effect.” said Isabelle Taubes, writer for Psychologies.com. “We are all surprisingly willing, according to psychologist Bertram Forer, to attribute the vaguest personality descriptions to ourselves.”
Through scientific analysis, people are trying to prove horoscopes are nothing but duplicated stories on vague human experiences. But, we must look on the positive side. Through these “stories,” people have bettered themselves and are inspired to strive for perfect self-realization.
“I read between the lines and use them as positive reinforcements for what I already want to happen in life and business,” said Kirsten Rees, a 34-year-old copywriter, business coach and Libra to The Independent.
No matter whether the horoscope says something positive or negative, the reader is inspired to make some sort of change within their own lives, and do better for themselves.
Analyzing horoscopes has taken flight in the current generation. The word “zodiac” itself is derived from the Greek, meaning “circle of animals,” hence the animals associated with the different signs. Throughout history,, beginning with the Babylonians, people have dedicated time and research to match certain characteristics to certain zodiac signs. We, as curious human beings, have not taken this research for granted.
Articles, quizzes and zodiac memes have given us insight on love compatibility, future careers and even, current practical characteristics of ourselves. Whether they are accurate or not, it gives humanity a sense of hope and wisdom. Astrology is a science and an art created largely by humans. We’ve always held the power to our futures.
“Astrology is not a religion, it offers comfort, faith and a deeper understanding of the world we live in,” according to astrology-zodiac-signs.com “Interpretations often offer assurances of one’s future, but more importantly, they are supposed to show us a way to resolve our issues and to improve our relationships with our partners, family, and friends and mainly tools to meet ourselves and discover our own inner worlds in a different light.”
Kiana Naquin is a 21-year-old English sophomore from Baton Rouge, Louisiana.