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When it comes to their love lives, young people are leaning into the mystical.
Manifestation, psychics, astrology, tarot cards, love spells — 64% of Gen Z and 51% of millennial adults have tried at least one, according to a new survey of 1,013 Americans ages 18 to 60 by DatingNews (with an estimated margin of error of ±3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level). That compares with 25% of Gen X and 12% of Boomers.
Amy Chan, relationship coach and author of “Unsingle: How to Date Smarter and Create Love That Lasts,” is seeing these trends now more than ever. “Especially the astrology thing,” she says, adding that, “I can’t escape the conversation about astrology and Mercury in retrograde.”
New York City-based psychologist Sabrina Romanoff has seen an uptick in this behavior among her clients as well. “In the past I’ve heard people bring it up as a joke,” she says. Now they’re embracing it.
A tarot card reading can cost up to $162, according to Thumbtack. Love spells can go for as little as $2 on Etsy. Here’s why Chan and Romanoff think young singles are getting witchy, and their advice to people trying these tactics as they look for love.
‘There’s just so much uncertainty’
The bottom line of why people try psychics and love spells is uncertainty.
“When people don’t feel like they’re in control — and right now, dating is a dumpster fire,” says Chan, “people become more vulnerable to magical thinking.” It gives them the sense that they’re taking the reins and even provides some hope.
Gen Zers in particular are just starting their adult lives and face many unknowns. “There’s just so much uncertainty,” says Romanoff, “not just with love, but every single expectation that a lot of Gen Z had about their future has kind of just crumbled.” That might make them more susceptible to leaning into the mystical than anyone, she says.
Young people are also very online and could be more exposed to astrology and manifestation than other generations. “They’re on TikTok, they’re on Instagram, and they’re being served” content about these activities, says Chan.
They can be ‘a springboard to actually get what they want’
Neither Chan nor Romanoff would say it’s inherently bad to try mystical love tactics. They both have clients who have. The point is to use these tools in the right way.
If you “use the universe or magic or fate as a way of avoiding your own responsibilities and accountability” and do nothing else, then you’re not moving your love life forward, says Chan. That’s not a productive way to lean in.
But if, instead, trying a love spell or a tarot card reading makes you feel more confident and hopeful, and you take that change of attitude and sign up for a new class or strike up a conversation with a stranger, then these activities are helpful, says Romanoff, adding that the practice becomes “a springboard to actually get what they want.”
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