By Evan Gulden
Photo by Evan Gulden
The credibility of astrology is a hot-button topic in today’s society. Some people are utterly indifferent to astrology and whether or not it dictates anything, others believe astrology is a bunch of bogus pseudoscience (astrology is classified as a pseudoscience by McGill University), and a sizable segment of the population swears by astrology and lives by its beliefs daily.
Astrology is also highly personalizable and more or less tailored to an individual. Opponents of astrology argue that most of its impact is due to the Barnum Effect, also called the Forer Effect. The Decision Lab describes the phenomenon as, “when individuals believe that generic information, which could apply to anyone, applies specifically to themselves.” Many people credit the sense of truth that people get from astrology to the Barnum effect.
But what do Willow students think about astrology?
“I feel astrology can play a role in some people’s personalities and how they act,” sophomore Caitlin Bruno said. “I guess I could understand how someone would believe astrology due to the Forer effect, because sometimes the statements do feel very personal, but when I look back at what I just related to, it’s actually very vague. I also think that the generalizations of how different signs act could be due to the effect, too. I see a lot of TikToks about astrology, and I just base my opinions on those. I’m not super into it and don’t really let it control my life.”
Junior Connor Bush agreed with Bruno but took it even further, saying, “I don’t think there’s any correlation between a person’s birthday and their personality. Just because a person is born on a certain date doesn’t mean they’re gonna be a natural born leader.”
Bush continued, “My experience and opinions come from my thoughts that if a person can have their personality based on the stars, then anything is possible.”
Junior Ellie Brausen, a self-proclaimed astrological aficionado, disagrees with Bush and Bruno.
“I do believe in astrology, depending on what the standard is, but I don’t think a zodiac sign makes up a person, and even though it can be very specific, the characteristics that a certain sign is supposed to have don’t necessarily have to make up who you are.” Brausen continued, “I do believe in it, but I do think there are points where you can take it too far and it doesn’t relate to you at all.”
“I’m really into tarot readings,” Brausen said, “crystals, horoscopes, and signs, and I have a lot of personal experience. I feel personally my zodiac sign represents me very well, but I’m not saying that everyone’s sign 100% dictates their personality. I study astrology quite a bit and believe in it, but I also believe that everyone is their own person, and a sign doesn’t make who you are.”
