Study: The more people believe in astrology, the less intelligent they are
Belief in astrology is linked to intelligence levels. Photo: Comments
In a 2025 study titled “Intelligence and Individual Differences in Belief in Astrology”, researchers at the University of Minnesota (USA) identified a clear pattern: the lower a person’s intelligence and education level, the more likely they are to believe in astrological claims.
The researchers analyzed data from 8,553 Americans and found that high intelligence – measured using the Wordsum test (a brief vocabulary test considered a reliable indicator of verbal intelligence and overall cognitive ability) – was the strongest predictor of skepticism toward astrology. In other words, intelligence turned out to be the most powerful factor in predicting distrust of this pseudoscience.
Education level also had a statistically significant impact: more educated individuals were less likely to believe in astrology. This supports the "superficial knowledge hypothesis," which suggests that people with greater academic training are better equipped to identify pseudoscientific ideas and are more likely to reject them.
The study also found that religiosity, spirituality, and trust in science had no significant influence on belief in horoscopes and zodiac signs.
As previously reported, Russians have recently begun spending more on esotericism than on food.
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