Is a Coincidental Similarity Enough for Real Intimacy?
Why people are seeking out their “astrological twins” online
In 2019, the astrologer Jess Campbell, who runs the popular Spicy Gemini Memes account on Instagram, posted about the experience of “sharing a soul connection” with your so-called astrological twin, someone with the same zodiac profile. She encouraged her followers to respond with their own sun, moon, and rising signs—the “Big Three” of the astrological chart, which are determined based on the time, date, and location of one’s birth—to find their twins. Campbell told me that she’d merely intended to create some lighthearted online conversation, but soon, tens of thousands of people were commenting—enough of a response that Campbell decided to start the website Zodiac Twin to facilitate these matches. (She has since archived the original post.) Others have been searching for their twins on Facebook groups.
The appeal of finding one’s zodiac doppelgänger seems to be the promise, however unsubstantiated, of looking into a cosmic mirror. People might hope to find someone who understands them profoundly. In some ways, this sort of pursuit isn’t unusual—we all want to meet people we relate to. And the more similar people already are, the stronger a connection they can feel: Finding out you went to the same college as someone else is going to be more potent than simply having the same educational level, just as discovering that you have the same birth chart is probably more intoxicating than a looser shared interest in astrology. These revelations might just be coincidences, but to our pattern-loving brains, they can seem like destiny. Can that feeling be enough to power real intimacy?
Some people told me that meeting their astrological twin truly felt fated. Campbell herself has kept in touch with several people she met through Zodiac Twin who share her Big Three. She’s especially close with one in particular; they now check in on each other daily and send each other memes. But the strength of their bond likely has little to do with the position of the planets when they were born. Research has long proved that we tend to befriend people who share key traits with us, such as age, race, religion, socioeconomic status, educational level, political leaning, and more. Studies also show that once people learn that they have things in common, they expect to like each other and enjoy their time together more. Those seeking out their astrological twins may be onto something—just perhaps not for the reason they think.
In fact, I spoke with some people who didn’t find much similarity with their chart twins—but this wasn’t always a deterrent to forming a bond. For Martina Zanin, a 29-year-old visual artist in Milan, the sheer serendipity of finding her twin on a dating app, in 2017, primed her for an immediate connection. Shortly after matching, the pair realized that they had almost identical birth charts—a striking coincidence, regardless of whether you believe in astrology. “I thought she was mocking me,” Zanin told me. “So I asked for her ID.” The two messaged over WhatsApp for two years on and off, flirting and asking each other questions, before they finally got lunch in person, in 2019. Zanin told me that her “twin” was born in a “totally different environment” than she was. “We had different families and childhoods,” she said. “Totally different life courses.” They both tended to walk fast, had compatible senses of humor, enjoyed nature, and, obviously, had been looking for love at the same time—but that was about it. Her zodiac twin wasn’t even all that interested in astrology. Still, Zanin had been extra motivated to learn more about her twin, and they remained in each other’s lives for years.
In hindsight, Zanin said, her quest to connect with her zodiac twin was actually an attempt to get to know herself. Lillian Ahenkan, a DJ and presenter in Australia, also found that meeting her astrological doppelgänger led her to greater self-understanding. Though she didn’t feel a particular affinity with her chart twin, after meeting them, she began to wonder, “Is the basis of who I am the bulk of my interests? Or is there something more intangible that makes me me?” In many ways, this search for personal enlightenment helps explain young people’s rising interest in astrology: 29 percent of American adults (and 37 percent of those under 30) now say they believe in astrology—which, of course, can range from occasionally checking a horoscope to letting a chart guide one’s daily decisions. Astrology, and astrological twins in particular, are a tempting vehicle for individual exploration, because they teach adherents about themselves at the same time as they highlight their similarities with other people; a zodiac enthusiast might struggle with time management because they have a sun in Pisces, but they’re not the only one.
Even astrologers wouldn’t expect chart twins to have the exact same personality, though. “Astrology is not prescriptive. It’s not a one-size-fits-all, and a planet or a sign can manifest in different ways,” Alice Bell, an astrologer based in New York and the author of Trust Your Timing, told me. Rather, she would expect people with the same chart to maybe “go through similar life events at the same time.” Skeptics could argue that being born at the same time and in the same place already sets people up to follow parallel timelines. For instance, if you finish school and enter the workforce around the same time as someone else, it follows that the two of you might experience many of the same labor-market stressors. This, however, doesn’t take away from the community that can be found through a perceived similarity, whether that’s a shared hobby or a feeling of cosmic affinity.
Ultimately, the catalyst for a friendship isn’t as important as the closeness that can result, especially at a time when many people crave deeper bonds. Loneliness in the U.S. has become a public-health crisis, with a lack of social ties increasing the risk of premature death by more than 60 percent. “If there are opportunities for connection, I think people are going to take it,” Campbell, who created Zodiac Twin, told me. And if you look for a connection expecting to find one, you often will.