Do You Read Your Horoscope Daily?

My astrologer predicted a year of successful enterprise and good fortune. So what went wrong? Had there been some ghastly bureaucratic astral mix up?

Tyne O'Connell

What astonishes me is not that people read their horoscopes, but that they actually believe what they’re reading. According to a study conducted for iVillage, 70 million people check their horoscope every day and one third of women horoscope users turn to their daily reading before making personal financial decisions. Ladies, you’ve got to be kidding me! Let’s get real; a daily horoscope is no more than entertainment, if that.

There are 12 signs of the zodiac and zillions of people on the planet born under each sign – young and old, rich and poor, healthy and sick, married and single, working and unemployed… How can a single horoscope possibly apply to every person reading born under that sign? A perfect case in point is my mother and me. We’re both Geminis. She’s 85. I’m 62. She’s a widow and not looking for a partner. I’m single and looking. She doesn’t work outside the home. I do. How can one daily horoscope possibly apply to both of us? Of course it can’t. But, daily horoscopes are filled with general statements that can apply to anyone’s life. E.g. Your financial outlook will improve. It could mean that you’ll land a great new job, get a raise, come into an inheritance, win a lottery, get an income tax refund… Everyone can apply a statement like this into their lives. Another popular one is “Great happiness is on the way”. This could mean anything - a new love, job, money, vacation… Again, it’s general enough that anyone can apply it to their lives, if they want to.

Why do so many people read their horoscopes? Psychologists call it the Barnum Effect (after American showman PT Barnum’s famous line, We’ve got something for everyone). People are willing to take these general statements and read personal meaning into them. Astrology is a multi-million dollar industry or multi-billion dollar industry depending on which report you’re reading. And according to Mashable, Googling the phrase "Free astrology report" returns more than 700,000 results.

Personally I suggest you go out and buy a package of fortune cookies. When you find out that the fortune inside is crap, at least you'll have a cookie.

I don't believe in astrology. The only stars I can blame for my failures are those that walk about the stage.

Noel Coward

Make someone smile today.

Geri