類別:英文寫作類
篇名:
Do the stars really affect our personalities?
作者:
陳韵雯。國立溪湖高中。高一 1 班
楊雅淳。國立溪湖高中。高一 1 班
蔡孟軒。國立溪湖高中。高一 1 班
指導老師：蕭建華老師
Do Stars Really affect our personalities?
I. Introduction
When it comes to personalities, various factors impacts on personal traits.
However, a great number of theories indicate that Zodiacs has a great influence on our
personalities. Does Zodiacs really have something to do with our personalities? It’s
what we are eager to discuss.
Recently, people are likely to get plenty of information on astrology from books,
TV programs, the Internet, or the media. They always make a judgment on others,
based on their signs of Zodiac. Is Zodiacs reliable? If not, how can astrology remain
popular for thousands of years? Are we born and doomed to be the person as the
Zodiacs said? Or is it the Zodiacs in the books that affect our personalities day by day
via reading?
This study was conducted under these motivations. To clarify the connection
between Zodiac and personalities, this study reviewed related literature and conducted
a questionnaire for later discussion.
II. Literature Review
II.1. Constellation
II.1.1. The origin of constellation
About 5,000 years ago, there lived some GAL-Asian people in Mesopotamia.
They grazed the sheep during the day and observed the stars at night. The alignment
of the stars in peculiar sequences gradually became human and animals in their mind.
Constellation was spread to Greece by Phoenicians in lots of trades (Magical zodiacs,
1998). Many tales of Greek mythology were born this way. These mythological
figures are what now come into our mind at night.
II.1.2. The definitions of Constellations and how to denominate Constellations
A group of fixed stars nearby others and composed of varieties of pictures are
the so-called Constellation. Though there is only one celestial body, the imagination
of human is infinite. Each celestial body is thought of as different meanings in ancient
cultures. Take Big Dipper for example. England people imagined it as the farming
tools, while Chinese people imagined it as a spoon, and Ancient Greece viewed as
a bear’ s tail (Wikipedia, 2006). To solve all of the problems, International
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Do Stars Really affect our personalities?
Astronomical Union make a decision, precisely categorized them into eighty-eight
kinds of Constellation. This categorization makes each of the fixed stars in the sky
own their own Constellation.
II.1.3. Constellation’s influence and application
In the past, Constellation played an important role in their life. Take navigation
and cultivation for example. They considerably depended on Constellation. Although
we have GPS in modern life, Constellation isn't forgotten by people. Besides,
Constellation is applied to fate forecasts as well. Newspapers and TV programs talk
about it and many people refer to it in our daily life. But are these forecasts reliable?
Are the opinions and suggestions toward certain zodiacs influential to your daily life?
If yes, this influence good or bad? Why do common people allow it to affect them so
deeply in their daily lives? The purpose of this study is to clarify if the constellation
can truly determine a person’s personality and daily luck, or if people are made to
believe it.
II.2. Relations between constellation and personality
II.2.1. Stereotype, prejudice, & self- reflection
It is interesting that most people think Constellation and personality have many
in common. Therefore, Constellation brings about the booming business in divination.
And the products of divination emerge in an endless stream. In turn, people who are
imperceptibly influenced by what they see and hear out of divination have a deep faith
in the power of constellation. Gradually, people get used to applying it to determine a
person’s personality. However, “The stereotype about Constellations could lead to
discriminations…... In fact, the superstitious beliefs have caused prejudice
toward certain Constellations. For example. Gemini is tagged as being playful,
not single-minded” (Wu, 2011). On the other hand, stereotypes may not be totally
rumors. When a person is tired of the irrational criticism from people around him, it is
better to reflect upon himself and see why his behavior is so convinced that people
would rather believe what the constellational divination said.
II.2.2. Paradoxes
According to scientific explanation, the only relationship between Constellation
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Do Stars Really affect our personalities?
and humans gravity is. However, the distance is so far away that the gravity is too tiny
to affect human beings’ body on Earth, not to mention their personalities. If it were
true that “Constellation can affect a person's personality,” the natural rules in physics
textbooks would be overthrown. Thus, it is irrational to relate Constellation with
personality forecasts.
Moreover, Constellation derives from myth stories, which is not scientific at all.
Since each person’s trait of Constellation is based on that of mythological figures, it
can be inferred that divination forecast on personalities is not convincible. For
example, “Leo” refers to a lion, the king of beasts, and thus owns the qualities of a
lion, while “Virgo” describes the qualities of a sensitive and cautious girl. Is it
possible that all the “Leos” are good leaders while all the male “Virgos” are as
sensitive and cautious as a female? This is irrational, too.
II.2.3. Gender & Educational Differences
According to surveys, both gender and educational level are critical to
Constellational belief (Surdin, 2012). It is indicated that females believe in
Constellation more than males. Besides, people of more social experiences in natural
science less believe in Constellation (Table 1). Do these results impact on personal
interactions and social relationships?
Table 1
Gender & Age Differences in Constellational Faiths
Attitude toward astrology
Ages 18 to 24
All
Believe
38%
22%
Do not believe
55%
69%
Undecided
7%
9%
Know their zodiac sign
96%
76%
Regularly read horoscopes
26%
23%
Note. All age groups above 18
Men
18%
73%
9%
69%
16%
Women
26%
64%
10%
83%
29%
II.3. Commercialization & “Fuller Effect”
According to Sun (1998), Constellation used to occupy only two pages in
female magazines, published once a month. However, nowadays Constellation
magazines are published every week. One convenience store clerk reported that the
Constellation magazines are sold out in less than two days. This phenomenon shows
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Do Stars Really affect our personalities?
that Constellation is successfully commercialized, and that more and more people
have deeper reliance on Constellation divination.
Is Constellation divination so accurate that it turns superstition into faith? One
good explanation is “Fuller Effect.” Fuller Effect explains that “when people
confront a blurred depiction, they tend to retain what they agreed with and skip those
disagreeable data” (Forer, 1948).
III. Methodology
III.1. Questionnaire & Subjects
To evidence whether modern people rely on Constellation for personality
judgment, a questionnaire was invented. The contents of this questionnaire are based
on the data in Baidu's encyclopedia. With reference to it, this study selects out certain
personal traits of each Constellation which can best depict the Constellation. Then, the
list of personal traits was checked by both teacher and students in a senior high school.
Both the teachers and students were randomly sampled. They were asked to check one
personal trait that best represents each Constellation. The results are listed in Table 2.
Table 2
Personal Trait of Each Constellation recognized both by teachers and by Students
Aries
I am involved in new things and fond of taking adventure.
Taurus
I like to lead a stable life instead of a movable life.
Gemini
I believe that I am intelligent and excellent at logic.
Cancer
I often recall the wonderful days in the past.
Leo
I am kind and calm and think twice before doing anything.
Virgo
I pay attention to tiny things.
Libra
I am easy-going and obedient.
Scorpio
I prefer friends who absolutely understand me.
Sagittarius
I am optimistic.
Capricorn
I have more patience and perseverance than others.
Aquarius
I focus on the spiritual development and pay little attention to my
desire.
Pisces
I am able to be in people’s shoes and cope with the difficulty they
confront.
III.2. Statistics
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Do Stars Really affect our personalities?
The twelve descriptions (see Table 2) were made into the twelve items in the
questionnaire (see Figure 1). Each item includes four options, and the corresponded
grades are listed as follows: strongly agree (four points), agree (three points), disagree
(two points), and strongly disagree (one point). The sum of each item was divided by
the toll of subjects.
□Male
□Female
Birthday______
Dear All,
We are students in Class101. We want to do a research on personality traits. We
need you to help fill out the questionnaire. The questionnaire is used for research
analysis only. We won’t reveal your personal information to others. So, be patient
to check the answers. Thanks for your help.
Content
Strongly Agree Disagree Strongly
Agree
Disagree
1. I am involved in new things and fond
of taking adventure.
□
□
□
□
2. I like to lead a stable life instead of a
changeable life.
□
□
□
□
3. I believe that I am intelligent and
excellent at logic.
□
□
□
□
4. I often recall the wonderful days in
the past.
□
□
□
□
5. I am kind and calm and think twice
before doing anything.
□
□
□
□
6. I pay attention to tiny things.
□
□
□
□
7. I am easy-going and obedient.
□
□
□
□
8. I prefer friends who absolutely
understand me.
□
□
□
□
9. I am optimistic.
□
□
□
□
10. I have more patience and
perseverance than others.
□
□
□
□
11. I focus on the spiritual development
and pay little attention to my desire.
□
□
□
□
12. I am able to be in people’s shoes
and cope with the difficulty they
confront.
□
□
□
□
Figure 1. Questionnaire of this study.
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Do Stars Really affect our personalities?
IV. Results & Discussion
In this study, there were 437 effective questionnaires. The collected data were
analyzed to see (a) if the statement for a certain horoscope is generalized for any
horoscope, and (b) if the statement toward a certain horoscope is recognized by the
subjects born at that duration of time. The results of the data analyzed are listed in
Table 3.
Table 3
Average Scores toward Each Item by Different Horoscope Groups
Item
Ari.
Tau.
Gmi.
Can.
Leo Vir.
Lib.
Sco.
Sag.
Cap.
Aqu.
Pis.
Ave.
1
3.1
3.0
3.2
3.0
3.2 3.0 3.1
3.1
3.1 3.2
3.0
3.1 3.1
2
2.8
2.9
2.6
2.9
2.7 2.6 3.0
2.8
2.5 2.9
2.9
2.8 2.8
3
2.3
2.3
2.6
2.3
2.8 2.4 2.5
2.4
2.2 2.4
2.2
2.6 2.4
4
3.0
2.7
3.5
3.2
3.1 3.2 3.1
3.4
3.0 3.3
3.3
3.1 3.2
5
2.7
2.2
2.7
2.7
2.5 2.7 2.7
2.8
2.6 2.8
2.6
2.5 2.6
6
2.6
3.0
2.8
2.5
2.3 2.9 3.0
2.6
2.4 2.8
2.5
2.5 2.7
7
2.3
3.0
3.3
3.1
2.7 2.6 3.1
3.0
2.9 2.9
3.3
2.9 2.9
8
3.0
3.0
3.5
3.3
3.3 3.1 3.2
3.4
3.1 3.3
3.4
3.3 3.2
9
2.7
2.8
3.1
2.9
2.9 2.6 2.7
2.8
2.7 2.8
2.7
2.9 2.8
10
2.4
2.4
2.8
2.2
2.6 2.3 2.6
2.7
2.4 2.6
2.5
2.4 2.5
11
2.6
2.2
2.3
2.2
2.2 2.1 2.3
2.5
2.7 2.6
2.7
2.3 2.4
12
2.8
3.0
2.9
2.8
3.0 2.9 3.0
2.9
3.0 3.0
2.9
2.9 2.9
Note. Item1~Irem12 refers to Q1 to Q12 in the questionnaire.
This study showed very interesting results. First, all subjects, whatever their
horoscope is, showed quite similar responses toward each item. Second, none of a
certain horoscope group strongly agrees or disagrees with their depicted personal trait.
Instead, each horoscope group averagely identified themselves with their depicted
trait.
Take Item 1 for example. Not knowing the item depicting the personal trait of
Aries, all the subjects from each horoscope responded to it similarly (see Table 3). All
of them identify themselves as being fond of novelty and adventures. Besides, the
Aries also agree with this statement as Aries’ personal traits. Therefore, it can be
concluded that (a) this statement is fairly generalized, for people of all horoscopes
hold similar attitudes toward it, and (b) averagely the Aries do recognized themselves
as curious and adventurous. Such deduction could also be made toward the other
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Do Stars Really affect our personalities?
items and horoscopes.
V. Conclusion
In this study, we found that Constellation and personality isn’t positively nor
negatively correlated. It is the generalized depiction that suits most of the people and
makes Zodiacs paradoxical and convincible. Plus the spread of information via
magazines and newspaper, constellation is keeping popular. Maybe the existence of
Constellation doesn’t lie in its accuracy, but in its social functions. It is a topic that
connects people’s relationships. Therefore, it is suggested to view Constellations with
a more relaxing perspective.
IV. References
Baidu Encyclopedia. (2008). Zodiac. Retrieved from October 22nd, 2012, at
http://baike.baidu.com/view/23887.htm
Forer, Bertram. (1948). Zodiac and blood type bring the harm: it causes new
“discrimination.” Guang Zhou Daily Paper, August 1st, 2011
Sun, Hsiu-hui. (1998). Soul Vitamins. Yuan Jian Magazine, July
Surdin, Vladimir. (2012). Why is astrology a pseudoscience? Retrieved from
http://humanism.al.ru/en/articles.phtml?num=000046
Wikipedia. (2006). Constellation. Retrieved from October 20th, 2012, at
http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%98%9F%E5%BA%A7
Wu, Chun-yi. (2011). The blood type and zodiac are only interesting, not about
personality. Superstitions belief makes people innocent. Guang Zhou Daily
Paper, July 30th, 2011
星座研究會編(1998), 《十二星座魔法書》台中市: 智學有出版社
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