Social Contagion of Astrology in the Social Media amid COVID-19 Pandemic

This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the associations of the extent of Social Contagion - Conscious Behavioral Response (CBR) towards Astrology on social media among Filipino Post-Millennial university students aged 18 to 23 years old with their demographics, Stress Level (SL), and Level of Susceptibility to Barnum effect (LSB) during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 406 respondents participated in the online survey and data were analyzed using descriptive and non-parametric inferential statistics. Findings showed that respondents have high SL, moderate CBR level, and high LSB. Female respondents were found to have significantly higher CBR Factor Scores compared too males (p< 0.000). Thus, the females tended to be more consumers of Astrology in the social media. Other variables tested (religion, p=0.128; residence type, p= 0.736; age, p= 0.339) showed no statistical significant difference between the sample’s CBR Factor Scores. Also, a person’s stress level during the COVID-19 pandemic (in terms of the situation’s manageability and uncertainty) revealed a statistical significant association with their susceptibility to the Barnum effect (odds ratio 1.252686, p= 0.002). Thus, the more stressed a person is, he tend to manifest higher consumption of Astrology related information in the social media due to high uncertainty and less capacity to control the situation despite high management capacity score. Furthermore, activities involved in the consumption of Astrology through social media revealed a positive moderate significant association with their level of susceptibility to the Barnum effect (r=0.603, p<0.000). In a pandemic situation, the females consumed more Astrology related information even if the information is vague and may be to general to absorbed. Overall, the higher the SL and the higher the CBR, the higher the LSB. Thus, in this period of COVID-19 pandemic, females are more susceptible to higher level of Barnum Effect as they consumed higher level of Astrology related information triggered by higher level of stress brought by the high level of uncertainty and low level of individual’s control to thee current pandemic situation.

RELEVANCE OF INTERPRETATION AS THE DETERMINANT OF THE BARNUM EFFECT

The current research features the relevance of the psychological portrait as a factor of influence on the Barnum effect. The article contains some definitions of the phenomenon in question, as well as some other relevant concepts. It offers a brief review of the literature on the matter. The subjects of the research were full-time students of the Far East Federal University and the Admiral Nevelskoy Maritime State University, who were offered to relate a trivial personal description to their self-concept. The study was carried out in accordance with the standard procedure used in empirical studies of the Barnum effect. The processing of the obtained data was carried out with the help of the Pearson statistical criterion χ2 . Based on the results of the study, a statistically significant difference in the assessment of the accuracy of the trivial personal description was found. The difference depends on the type of relevance, which clarifies the current understanding of the Barnum effect. The conclusion features some further ways of investigating the Barnum effect and using the obtained data.

A NEW WAY OF LOOKING AT THE BARNUM EFFECT AND ITS LINKS TO PERSONALITY TRAITS IN GROUPS RECEIVING DIFFERENT TYPES OF PERSONALITY FEEDBACK

The present study proposes a new way of looking at the Barnum effect. A theoretical model describing the relationship between personality traits, type of personality feedback, and acceptance of personality feedback is proposed and tested. The results of the study provide proof for the model, supporting the notion that personality feedback is accepted both rationally and irrationally, demonstrating that the Barnum effect is linked to personality traits and these links are moderated by the type of personality feedback that is provided.Based on the results of this study, it is recommended that overall ratings of the acceptance of personality descriptions as a measure of the Barnum effect should be avoided. Rather, researchers should gather the acceptance ratings of the whole personality description presented as feedback, as well as acceptance ratings of its component statements. Any correlations between the acceptance ratings of the whole personality description and other variables should be controlled for the acceptance ratings of the component statements of the whole personality description.