A typical, prominent subject significantly affected by perception is the horoscopes' section published in newspapers, magazines and online. There are a section of people who faithfully believe in these, another section who believe it to be a complete farse and a third who partially believe in published horoscopes... communication and behaviour are based on our perception rather than on reality and every individual interprets messages differently. I think the best evidence of this theory are horoscopes and how all different people view, interpret and imbibe these 'future predictions'.
The sender (i.e. the author/writer), communicates his message (non verbal writings) via various channels/mediums as stated above, and through this the writer communicates and tries to express the words in a way he/she wishes the reader to percieve and interpret these messages.
However, "perception is the process of selecting, organising and interpreting information in order to give personal meaning to the communication we recieve" (Seller & Beall, Communication Making Connection, 1999:31) which explains how every reciever decodes these same messages differently...
what is your take on horoscopes?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Hey Pooja!
ReplyDeleteHoroscopes are written in such general terms that, no matter which sign you're born under, the "predictions" will apply to you. Somehow, the idea that my life is predetermined by my horoscope sounds rather fallacious to me.
On the other hand, if people choose to believe in the power of horoscopes and read them religiously everyday, some good can come out of it. Readings like "Your life will take a turn for the better if you choose to make a hard decision today" help believers to reconsider tough choices from a new perspective. This has the possibility of helping them improve their lives, I guess...
hey pooja.i think that horoscopes are kind of stupid.i mean they do not determine your life.
ReplyDeleteanyways i like this post because it explains perception and communications in it.a good combination creates a good post
well done.
this topic is very debatable. Personally i do not like believing in horoscopes mainly because after reading my horoscope the predictions when occur/ if occur or i assume occurring, even if they are minor, i start believing in something which might not necessarily be real, so i choose not to really believe in horoscopes since it is a phycological thing.
ReplyDeletei agree with what you have to say about perception and communication in this context.
horoscope is just to look at life from a different point of view..i believe everyone has a different thought, some might believe in everything and become very cautious about life, and some just do not read and do no believe in it. Well, i think not everything said is true for everyone , and not everything said isnt true. So it all depends on individuals thoughts.
ReplyDeleteWell pooja, your blogs are preety good, i think you should write more..
:) ...
i find it completely questionable how a prediction for millions of people having only a sun sign as a common element can come true. humans facing different challenges in their respective lives read and interpret these generic messages to suit whatever their pursuits at the given time are - some get encouragement some get justification - i myself have never read the horoscope section but do they actually say anything negative ever?
ReplyDeletehey pooja
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't really believe in horoscopes as they are not really 100% true. They are quite generalise that everyone with that same horoscope will experience the same thing. That's a little unbelievable.
However, I guess it is really up to people's perception. Some people can be so into it that if their horoscopes indicate that it will be a bad day for them, they would want to stay home instead of going out. The good predictions can help boost our spirit which is a good thing. But if it is a bad prediction, I am not sure if it is helping the person to escape the accident or making the person escape from reality itself. =)
vanessa
Hey Pooja, I fully agree to the first comment by Zee. People find always anything in the lines of the horoscope, even if its very small and unimportant, which is true (caused through generalization) and therefore tend to believe in horoscopes.
ReplyDeletePersonally I sometimes have a look into my horoscope but always one day or week or month after the supposed things should have happened and I again and again realize, that it is totally made up and not fitting at all.
People who read it in advance of the day search for the action which is predicted in the horoscope and connect each and every tiny thing which could fit to the horoscope.
horoscope reading can be dangerous or good. if you start reading the horoscopes and take it literally then you will keep waiting for it to tell you when the good things are going to happen to you and meanwhile the bad things will happen as and when.on the other hand you read it and take what is written positively and as a indicator tnen you can strenthen your mind.all in all if you cant stay without getting affected it is best to stay away and do your own hard work.
ReplyDeletei have serious doubts about such predictions being true. infact i do not believe in such. since most of the horoscope readings have a positive content, it enthuses the reader to follow it more and more and the person than subconsciously starts to believe those as applicable to him/her entirely. It is a feeble attempt at acquiring one more crutch in the difficult walk of life.
ReplyDeletesee honestly speaking the horoscopes may seem at a farce but i remember there would be days where i would come home and look at my horoscope and say...omg that is so true. So although it may not be so i feel that it has happened and love reading the horoscopes. They are like dear diana, you read them for fun and nothing more. If you take them seriously and live your life according to them, thats when you let some random old fart writing rubbish to control your life. It all depends on our perspective and viewpoint of life. Im a capricorn by the way!
ReplyDeletei think that hororscopes are just made predictions that are generalized so that the smallest event seems as though the prediction came true. It shouldn't be taken too seriously though.
ReplyDeleteI think the belief in horoscopes comes from family beliefs more than anything else. i think it has very little to do with real life experiences. horoscopes provide the believers with a 'landing cushion' for anything bad that can possibly happen. this belief in horoscopes, has a positive and negative too. people who believe in them can say, it was meant to be, about a certain incident and actually move on but in moving on comes the negative as they take the very minimal from the life experience assuming that since it was meant to be, it was meant to be and there was nothing anyone could do about it. this minimizes the chance of reconciliation if something is going badly and also if something is going good they tend to take it for granted.
ReplyDeleteBut i must admit i do read horoscopes occasionally really find them entertaining more than anything else. i just consider them really wide compassing predictions which everyone can relate to.
But for the people who believe in them hopefully have a logically meaningful reason or at least an emotional one to back up their claim, but this is only to keep at the back of their heads because no one is actually going to ask them for it.
Each one to their own though, whatever works for them and makes them happy is ideally what they should do.
I agree with you, Horoscopes are all about how you percieve them to be. They are not actually future predictions but simply messages which are known to occur frequently and have the possibility of occuring. But at times they are fun reading in anycase :)
ReplyDeletei read my horoscope everyday and i sort of believe in it. It doesn't determine the way i act or behave. But when things happen and it coincides with my horoscope I tend to believe that its pssble that horoscopes are true. The effect of this is dangerous but I agree that it also depends on the reader's perception as the reader draws parallels between his real life and horoscope and a personal interpretation makes a world of difference. I guess horoscopes are fun to read but need to be treated caution. =)
ReplyDeletehonestly,yea it may sound ridicoulous but i read mine everyday.. and also partially believe in it and some times it even comes true..nothing is true if u dont believe in it and everything is true if u believe in it..
ReplyDeletethts my theory :)
Pooja,
ReplyDeleteHoroscopes are mostly false. Sometimes, I can relate my horoscopes to things that are going to happen and have already happened in real life. Basically, I'm saying that horoscopes are only true if you find them relevant.
Not exactly. Horoscopes are also used as a form of future/daily planning for many individuals. Most people use them when it comes to luck. Therefore, horoscopes can be seen as a good estimate of how "lucky" you are on a certain day. Horoscopes are also used to reassure someone or to convince them otherwise. For example, if you are taking a test and your horoscope says something good is going to happen to you, you will be reassured.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, horoscopes also have a negative impact on many individuals. For example, if they are doing something on a day that has to be done and nothing the horoscope says will influence them doing it, then if the horoscope says that something bad will happen to you the person will feel very demoralized and will not be motivated.
Pooja,
ReplyDeletewhat you dream for is what can be provided you really want it and focus. I do believe that the fabric of the universe connects us all and that planetary movements can influence our lives. predictions however are very macro and it is not a well researched science (at least not in this century). Dream positive and you can decide your future.
I agree with u that its our perception which leads us to interpret
ReplyDeletegeneral writing of horoscopes, moreover our perceptions are influenced
by our current mental attitude and situation.
I also feel that total dependence on horoscope is wrong at the same
time if used to give broad guideline than it can be positive , for this
to happen the horoscope has to be specific to u and not general , each
one is born under individual star constellation etc so generalizing
horoscopes as sun signs etc does not give proper picture and that is
why u view it as per your perspective.
hey pooja
ReplyDeletei think horoscopes are more like horrorscopes!!!
if you hear something good ..you assume its going good...if you hear something terrible...you blame everything on the poor stars!!
only if , you can be totally neutral while reading or listening to your horoscope...then its fine. if you let the horoscope take over your life....trust me its not worth it at all!
you have to lead your own life and not let someone else or something else determine the outcome...
good or bad...its life ! live it ! dont expect any shortcuts...because there are'nt any...
lots of love
poonam
I think people who write the horoscope columns in newspapers everyday have an amazing imagination as they manage 12 different random stories everyday! I think the horoscopes in newspapers are pretty random. People do have their destinies, and whether they are pre-ordained or whether we make our own destiny (another debatable topic), it surely doesn't change on a daily basis.
ReplyDeletehoroscopes !!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeletemy personally fav topic.horoscope reading is a very scentific calculation depending on starts planet and their possitions.planets hav some specific attributes juyst like us,reading understanding and calulating them can get tedious most important u require faith,& ofcouse gd reader,that will solve 75% of our problems,
our destiny is deastined just understanding its timming will help us cope with bad times & guide us thrrough to reach better end.as the famous quote goes:-THIS TOOOO SHALL PASS!!!!!
If you follow horoscopes, you will definitely remember predictions that are remarkably accurate.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the key words are "remember" & "remarkable". You "remember" only those predictions which turn out to be near to reality, and you "remark" on these alone to your friends.
As a result, you go about strengthening the belief that horoscope predictions are accurate.
However, this may not be altogether bad. Convincing positive predictions can help people to do better. Many young men will have mustered up courage to propose to a girl after reading that the stars augur well for their love life.
Authors of horoscopes know that people generally prefer positive predictions, and they almost always oblige (although usually they play safe by making the language slightly ambiguous).
hi pooja, i dont believe in horoscope and it is scientificaly proved that nothing of this kind actually exist. people wo dont belive in themselves run after these articles.... thinking that the little article in the newspaper will change their fate. If you rely on your horoscope to tell you your fate, beware. General horoscopes are aimed towards a general audience, not to you. If there is anything negative, you can choose not to accept it. Statistically, people with positive attitudes get more of what they want out of life than people with negative ones. What you believe is more often than not what will happen to you. If you fear something with intensity, it will probably happen to you, because you are trying too hard to avoid it. there are millions of examples where the said words through horoscope have failed and people have gone to huge losses in terms of wealth, health, mental harassments, time and so on.
ReplyDelete