Astrology believers are 'narcissistic and less intelligent', says study

Sorry astrology lovers, you're not going to like this...

A study has taken a jibe at astrology fans, claiming they are narcissistic and have lower IQ levels.

In recent years, more and more people have taken up an interest in astrology. The latest YouGov poll revealed that "a little more than one-quarter of Americans (27 per cent ) – including 37 per cent of adults under 30 – say that they believe in astrology, or that the position of the stars and planets influences people's lives."

Scientists at Lund University, Sweden, pulled together a series of questionnaires to look into narcissism and intelligence. Published in Personality and Individual Differences, the 264 responses revealed, "The main result showed that the higher the narcissism, perhaps surprisingly, the higher the belief in astrology,"

"The positive association is possibly due to the self-centred worldview uniting them, though this must be examined in further research."

They added: “The higher the level of intelligence, the lower the belief in astrology."

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According to Psychology Today, participants underwent the Belief in Astrology Inventory, the IPIP-30 Personality Scale and the Short Dark Triad of Personality (SD3-Narcissism) assessment.

Scientists suggested that the harmless hobby was linked to a lack of critical thinking.

“Though embracing astrology might seem innocent, it is nonetheless possible that it facilitates uncritical thinking and favours biases," they said. “Further, belief in astrology correlates with belief in multiple other pseudosciences as well as with belief in conspiracy theories which indicates that it might not be all that harmless.”

They added: “Since astrological predictions and horoscopes tend to be positively framed, this reinforces grandiose feelings and thus might appeal even more to narcissists."

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