French psychologist who attempted to use statistics to prove the validity of Astrology. Gauquelin, who earned scientific degrees at the Sorbonne, became interested in astrology at an early age, and wished to discover whether it could be substantiated scientifically. While still at the Sorbonne, he began to apply statistical analysis to astrological principles and found no scientific support for astrology. Then he began to use famous physicians’ birth data and discovered an astrological correlation. Follow-up studies of the birth dates of more than 30,000 people in a dozen occupations (physician, military leader, athlete, and so forth) reinforced his findings that certain planetary positions at the time of birth correlated with certain professions. Gauquelin’s research and personal beliefs did not support most of the tenets of astrology only this one aspect: that the stars under which one is born affect that portion of one’s personality that leads to certain career aptitudes.
Gauquelin claimed to be able to replicate his results, one of the basic requisites for scientific proof of a theory. His findings came to be called the Gauquelin Effect, or the Mars Effect (he found a larger proportion of super-achievers than was statistically likely to be, born near the rise or culmination of Mars). If Gauquelin was correct, long-held scientific skepticism about the impossibility of distant physical bodies the stars having a concrete effect on the lives and personalities of those living on Earth would be overturned. Although some other scientists claimed to have replicated Gauquelin’s findings, these results were not found to be legitimate by the mainstream scientific community. Ultimately, unable to attain the scientific legitimacy he sought, he committed suicide and requested that all of his work be destroyed. Today the Gauquelin Effect is not accepted by mainstream science.