0920周四Culture：美国人信星座吗？连我这个美国人都听着惊讶

Astrology 占星术

Zodiac signs / star signs 星座

The New Age movement of the 1960s and ‘70s brought a lot of interest in astrology. In the decades since then, it went into the background, with only a small percentage of Americans believing in astrology or star signs.

60-70年代的新时代运动带来了对占星术的兴趣。接下来的几十年的使劲，占星术慢慢又变得不主流，大部分美国人不再信占星术和星座。

According to a study, 58 per cent of 18-24-year-old Americans believe astrology is scientific. The study also revealed that skepticism of astrology is decreasing, and indeed you don’t have to look far online to find the strong community of young, cool, perfectly normal people who obsess over their zodiac signs.

根据一个调查，现在58%的18-24岁的美国人相信占星术是科学。

这个调查也展示了，对占星湖的信任度一直在涨，而且上网随便搜搜都可以看到很多年轻、时尚、完全正常的、但是还纠结星座的人。

So, why are youngsters getting into astrology after a 35-year slump?

Some research says that “people who consult astrologers” did so in response to stress in their lives—particularly stress “linked to peoples’ social roles and relationships.”

When people feel stressed, some people use astrology as a coping mechanism, even if they don’t believe in astrology when they’re in low-stress situations. This suggests that astrology might not be true, but it can make people feel like they are more in control of their lives. According to a new survey, Millennials have been the most stressed generation in recent years.

所以，为什么35年以后，年轻人又开始对占星术感兴趣呢？

有些研究结果表明 “咨询占星师的人”平常是因为生活压力太大而做咨询的 – 尤其是“跟社交或者人际关系”的压力。

感到压力的时候，有些人会以占星术为一种应变方式，虽然在没有压力的时候就不信占星术。这可能意味着占星术虽然不科学，但是还能让人感觉生活没有那么不可控。根据一个新的调查，千禧一代的人是近几年最有压力的年代。

For several decades, researchers tracked more than 2,000 people since about 1958 — most of them born within minutes of each other. 

Researchers looked at more than 100 different characteristics, including occupation, anxiety levels, marital status, aggressiveness, sociability, IQ levels, ability in art or sports, and personality. 

According to astrology, these people should have very similar traits. However, the scientists found that these “time twins” were not similar people at all. Their conclusion: “the results are uniformly negative.”

通过几十年，从1958年，研究者跟踪了超过2,000个人，其中大部分的出生时间差就几分钟。

研究者分析了多于100不同的方面，包括行业、生活压力、婚姻状况、凶焰度、交际能力、IQ、艺术或运动能力、和性格。

根据占星术，这些人应该有类似的结果。可是，科学家发现这些 “时间双胞胎”很不相似的。他们的结果是：占星术彻底失败了。