Do people use astrology more when life feels difficult?

Astrology can become more attractive during difficult or uncertain periods. When people face stress, confusion, or negative life events, astrology may help them create meaning and feel more emotionally oriented.

In this study, people's interest in astrology was positively linked to the number of personal crises they had experienced, but not to the number of past traumatic events. The authors connect this to coping: astrology may offer a way to make sense of a hard period.

The same study also found that taking an astrology course made people more certain about how they see themselves, which the authors call self-verification. That part is covered in can astrology be helpful?.

What this does and doesn't show

It is a small, correlational study from 1998, so it shows a link between crises and interest in astrology, not that one causes the other. For a recent overview of the same theme, see why astrology has become more popular again.

Sample: 40 students in introductory astrology, psychology and German language courses.