Why has astrology become more popular again?

Astrology has become more popular partly because people are looking for meaning during uncertain times. When the future feels unclear, astrology can offer a sense of timing, pattern, and emotional explanation.

This 2022 scoping review brought together peer-reviewed research on belief in astrology and fortune-telling, searching PubMed, ProQuest, EBSCO and Scopus. The authors note that interest in astrology surged recently, possibly because of the uncertainty around the Covid-19 pandemic.

Across the studies, belief in astrology was linked with thinking style, personality, self-concept verification and stress. In simple words: astrology often becomes more interesting when people feel unsure and want a framework to understand life.

The review also flags a risk. A few case studies describe excessive use of astrology and fortune-telling services, sometimes called "fortune-telling addiction", with symptoms such as distress and cravings. The authors treat it as a possible behavioural addiction that needs more research.

What this does and doesn't show

A scoping review maps existing research; it does not run a new experiment, and it does not show that astrology predicts anything. Related: astrology in difficult times and how people use astrology today.

Sample: A scoping review of peer-reviewed studies (PubMed, ProQuest, EBSCO and Scopus).