Hooked on Horoscopes

Hooked on Horoscopes

Text by Lena Gidwani Translation by Emma Xu Illustration by Haolun

Whenever I pick up a newspaper, I'm drawn to the horoscope page. “It's just a bit of fun,” I tell myself, justifying this harmless pastime. For those that don't know, 2017 is the Year of the Female Fire Rooster.

As luck would have it, it's also my year.

According to Chinese astrology, people in their zodiac year are believed to upset Tai Sui, an almighty star personifi ed as a highly respected and feared deity. Legend has it that if offended, he will bring you misfortune and bad luck. Every year, two of the Zodiac animals must take steps to appease Tai Sui because one is directly affl icted whilst the other is directly in confl ict with him. Now, deep down, my intellectual, sophisticated and logical side (and a decade and a half of living in China) tells me there is no such thing as Tai Sui. He is imaginary,

COLUMNIST'S PROFILE

Lena Gidwani is a resident of Guangzhou for 13 years, selfconfessed networker, magazine editor and an avid writer.

Lena Gidwani，网络工作者、杂志编辑、作家，在广州居住13年。and exists to explain Jupiter's position to our planet, as it changes by 30 degrees each year in its 12 year orbit of the Sun.

Yet why am I, like so many others, so seduced by Chinese astrology? Why do I feel an entirely irrational surge of optimism when told that there are things that I can do to fend off bad luck in my zodiac year and determine the annual fortunes of all of us mortal beings? Is it because I'm female, as we are more statistically proven to believe in this junk?

In the last month since reading my 2017 prediction, I asked just about every family member and all my friends to buy me red clothes. You do know that wearing red drives away bad luck and evil spirits, right? My expensive jade bracelet is my newest and most extravagant purchase this year, and the shopkeeper has promised that it will result in that much-coveted pay rise. And just to cover all bases, I've even adjusted the position of my desk and bed to face away from the dreaded wrath of Tai Sui.

I cannot help it. I'm hooked on my horoscope.

Interesting, as seasoned psychologists tell us, there is a reason for this. This temptation (and human tendency) to apply vague, general and favorable statements as representative of ourselves or of our personal situations is called the Barnum Effect. The term was coined after American circus performer, businessman and infamous hoaxer P.T Barnum's famous line: “We've got something for everyone.”Simply put, the vagueness of predictions amplify subconscious desires and encourage you to consider them without questioning, which makes them great for discovering what you actually want and calming your anxieties. Genius, isn't it?

I am completely aware that I should probably close the window on my zodiac addiction forever. I know that my future is as likely to be written in the stars as it is to appear on a banner attached to the tail of this airplane. But it's hard to break a habit. Especially when red looks so darn good on me…

中式占星术

每每拿起报纸，我都会被生肖运程的专题吸引。挺有趣儿，我宽解自己，权当是无伤大雅的娱乐。2017是火鸡之年，恰巧，是我的本命年。

中国的占星术有个说法，人过本命年时会犯太岁。太岁是主宰全年运程的神明，可敬可畏。传说要是犯了太岁，会遭遇不幸。可经过我理性的分析，太岁是人虚构的形象，实际指的是木星，木星每12年绕太阳一周，每年移动30度。

然而，为什么我和很多人一样，痴迷中国的占星术？为什么得知本命年里有办法趋吉避凶时，我会盲目乐观？难道是因为女人更容易迷信？

看了2017年的生肖运程，我求亲朋好友送我红色服装。据说穿红装可以赶走霉运。我新买了昂贵的玉镯，售货员允诺我，戴上必会佑我大涨薪资。为保万无一失，我还调整了书桌和床的位置，以免冲犯太岁。

我不能自已，迷上了生肖算命。

心理学家指出，迷上生肖算命是有原因的。这种把戏会用模糊、普适且讨喜的表达来分析人的运程。预测具有模糊性，总会切中人潜意识中的某些渴望，让人深信不疑。预测发现了人的真实需要，安抚了焦虑情绪，因而显得神奇。

我自知应戒掉对生肖算命的瘾，也明白自己的命运不大可能被刻在哪颗星上，但打破一个习惯太难，特别是发现红色如此衬我之后……