Why is your horoscope always right?

Have you ever read your horoscope and felt that it accurately described your personality and situation? 

Have you ever wondered how a generic text can apply to so many different people? The answer lies in the Forer effect, a psychological phenomenon that explains why the horoscope is correct.

Why is your horoscope always right?

The Forer effect, also called the Barnum effect, occurs when a person accepts as valid an ambiguous and general description that supposedly fits their particular case. This occurs because we tend to look for meaning and confirmation of our beliefs in the information we receive, and to ignore or minimize what doesn't match them. Thus, the horoscope takes advantage of the characteristics common to all human beings, such as the desire for love, success, security or happiness, and presents them in a vague and adaptable way to any context.

For example, if you read that "today you will have an opportunity to improve your work situation", you can interpret it in many ways: a call, a meeting, a promotion, a project change, etc. And if nothing special happens, you may think that the opportunity will present itself later, or that you did not know how to take advantage of it. In this way, the horoscope is always right, because it adapts to what you want to believe.

The Forer effect occurs not only with the horoscope, but also with other pseudoscientific practices such as astrology, numerology, graphology or tarot. These techniques use ambiguous and flattering language that appeals to people's emotions and self-esteem, making them feel understood and special. However, they do not have any scientific basis or empirical evidence to support them.

Therefore, the horoscope is not correct because it has some predictive or magical power, but because it is based on the Forer effect and on our tendency to believe what is good for us. This does not mean that reading the horoscope is bad or dangerous, as long as it is done with a critical spirit and without letting it influence our important decisions. After all, the horoscope is just a form of entertainment, not a guide to life.

The forer effect

The Forer effect is a psychological phenomenon that consists of the tendency to believe that a description of the personality or the future is precise and personalized when in fact it is vague and general. This effect was first studied in 1948 by psychologist Bertram Forer, who conducted an experiment with his psychology students. 

He asked them to fill out a personality test and then gave them a supposed analysis based on their responses. In reality, the analysis was the same for everyone and was made up of ambiguous and flattering statements that could be applied to anyone. The students had to rate the accuracy of the analysis on a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 being the most accurate. The result was that the mean of the scores was 4.26, which indicated that the students felt identified with the analysis and believed that it reflected their distinctive features. 

In this way, Forer demonstrated that people are credulous and tend to accept as valid statements that favor us or make us feel good, without questioning their veracity or their origin.