Good day for Leos: Horoscope’s influence on perception, cognitive performances, and creativity.

Clobert, Magali;Van Cappellen, Patty;Bourdon, Marianne;Cohen, Adam B.
(2016) Society for Personality and Social Psychology Conference — Location: San Diego, Californie, USA (28.January.2016)

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Authors
  • Clobert, MagaliStanford University/UCL
    Author
  • Van Cappellen, PattyUniversity of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
    Author
  • Bourdon, MarianneUniversité de Nantes
    Author
  • Cohen, Adam B.Arizona State University
    Author
Abstract
Do people treat horoscopes as mere entertainment, or does reading horoscopes have more substantial consequences? Based on previous research showing the effects of expectations as well as on literature highlighting the influence of astrology on individuals, we hypothesized that reading positive versus negative horoscopes may affect people’s perceptions, emotions, cognitions, and creativity. Across three experiments, reading positive versus negative astrological forecasts increased positive interpretation of ambiguous events (Experiment 1, N = 195), cognitive performance (Experiment 2, N = 189), and creativity (Experiment 3, N = 193). Furthermore, positive (versus negative) horoscopes decreased negative emotions among people who believe in astrology and the effects of horoscopes on cognitive performances and creativity were stronger among people with a low internal locus of control. Opening newspapers and searching for daily horoscopes have more consequences than one may initially think, given the current demonstration that horoscopes influence people’s perceptions and cognitive performances.
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Clobert, M., Van Cappellen, P., Bourdon, M., & Cohen, A. B. (2016). Good day for Leos: Horoscope’s influence on perception, cognitive performances, and creativity. Society for Personality and Social Psychology Conference, San Diego, Californie, USA. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/73167