Are Astrology-Obsessed People Narcissists?

If you, like millions of other people, got into astrology and decided to look to the stars for a glimmer of hope or reason during this chaotic and painful last few years, one group of researchers says there’s a good chance you may be a narcissist. At least according to a small study. To which we say: is there a new moon this week, or something?

The study, which will be published in March 2022 in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, took a look at 264 people between the ages of 25 to 34 (87 percent of whom identified as women). Researchers found that participants who believed in astrology showed more pronounced narcissistic traits and lower intelligence than those who did not believe in astrology.

Data was collected via an anonymous survey that was circulated on social media, and respondents were asked a series of 51 questions derived from four unique questionnaires that assess personality traits, narcissistic tendencies, intelligence, and belief in astrology.

The results of the survey showed a positive correlation between narcissistic traits and the belief in astrology and a negative correlation between intelligence and belief. Basically, the data suggests that if you believe in astrology, you might be a narcissist.

If you’re an astrology-loving individual who is fuming at this thin study, it gets more annoying from there.

The researchers posit that the relationship between narcissism and belief might be because the respondents were all Millennials.

“The positive association is possibly due to the self-centered worldview uniting them, though this must be examined in further research. Furthermore, cultural aspects of millennials may emphasize the uniqueness of individuals, which might lead to a more egocentric view of the world, and thus relate to narcissistic traits,” the researchers wrote.

So clearly the study has limitations. Researchers used a very small sample size, especially considering the number of respondents available to them via social media. Also, they used a relatively young demographic for the study — despite the fact it has been established that narcissistic traits decline with age.

Finally, the questions on the survey were taken from more in-depth questionnaires used in psychological and psychiatric testing. By using shortened versions of the questionnaires, researchers may have removed much of the depth and context of the original questionnaires. And it’s not like they asked what everyone’s sun, moon, and rising signs were, either, so who knows if these astrology-obsessives have actually ever read a natal chart.

So maybe take this whole thing with a grain of salt, just like a Capricorn would.