The Zodiac Signs Who Are Most Likely To Have An Anxious Attachment Style
Everyone has an attachment style. According to psychologist John Bowlby, who created the attachment theory in the 1950s, there are four types of attachments and, as infants, we develop one of those attachments based on our interactions without our primary caregiver. Of the four, only one is considered secure, while the others, anxious, avoidant, and disorganized, are categorized as being insecure attachments. While any professional will tell you that having a secure attachment is best in regards to navigating relationships with others, it doesn't mean that the other three are a lost cause. It's just that those with an insecure attachment need to do a bit more work.
The most common of the insecure attachment styles is anxious. Considering anxiety disorders account for the majority of mental disorders, with over 300 million being affected worldwide according to the World Health Organization, we can't totally be surprised. "You know it's an anxious attachment when this anxiety is overwhelming," certified sex therapist and sexologist Jenni Skyler, PhD told Women's Health. "There's a paranoia that's always present ... [a lack of] inherent trust that the person loves you even if they aren't physically there, or an inherent trust that they love you even if they aren't emotionally there, such as after a fight."
Although the attachment theory relies on early childhood to determine one's attachment style, it also gives to space for possible change over time. After all, no one is solely one thing when it comes to personality traits. Because our star sign plays a role in who we are and how we behave, some signs just might be more likely to have an anxious attachment style than others.
Cancer (June 21 – July 22)
Cancer is probably the most loving, affectionate, and empathetic sign in the zodiac. They can always be counted on to be there for others, to listen, and show their unwavering support. But while these are amazing traits and to know a Cancer is to love them, it doesn't always work out in their favor. When you're so invested in the happiness of those you love, it can turn to constant worrying.
According to a 2019 study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, there is a direct correlation between empathy and anxiety. People who are highly emotionally aware are naturally sensitive to the feelings and emotions of those around them. Through their empathy, Cancer can't help but be affected by the suffering of others, therefore giving rise to anxiety that could reveal itself in an anxious attachment style.
"Empaths feel things first, then they think [about them], which is the opposite of how most people function," psychiatrist Judith Orloff, MD told Promises Behavioral Medicine. "Empaths sense other people's emotions in our bodies without the usual filters; we can hear what they don't say." As Orloff explained, it's this empathy that causes hyperactivity in the "brain's mirror neuron system." All this constant deep feeling is so overwhelming, making Cancer not just the most empathetic, but the most anxious sign too, per Astrotalk.
Virgo (August 23 – September 22)
Virgo is the pure embodiment of perfectionism — or at least trying to be as perfect as possible at all times. As much as they're kind and loving in their own way, they hold themselves and those around them to standards that aren't always realistic, let alone attainable. While it's important to not settle (something Virgo would never do), the problem with seeking perfection in an imperfect world and trying to mold everyone around you into idealized versions of themselves is that it's a stressful (and impossible) task. Cue the anxiety.
According to a 2022 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, social anxiety is a side effect of perfectionism. Like Cancer and their empathy that creates higher levels of awareness, being a perfectionist does the same. It takes a lot of mindfulness and wherewithal of everything around you to be a perfectionist, because being perfect isn't just a standard, but something that's based on a reference point.
"Perfectionism involves a continuous pressure to meet extremely high standards to achieve self-worth despite the negative consequences that such relentless striving brings," licensed professional counselor Rebecca Phillips told PsychCentral. "There is often an underlying belief that if they are perfect, maybe then they will be enough, and many people try to compensate for feelings of inferiority by over-functioning." When someone's priority is perfection in all ways, it can convolute relationships and create an anxiety-riddled barrier that stands in the way of close, healthy connections.
Pisces (February 19 – March 20)
Like their fellow water sign Cancer, Pisces is also highly emotional. But while Cancer may be the most empathetic of the zodiac, thereby making them the most anxious, Pisces is the most sensitive, which definitely puts them in the top five signs most likely to have an anxious attachment style, per Astrotalk. It's hard to go through life being a sensitive soul, and when that sensitivity stems from a childlike naïvety that tends to be more dreamy than not, it can be even more difficult. But this level of sensitivity is necessary for Pisces' artistic ways and advocacy for others.
"Pisces is the most gentle of all the signs," astrologer Kesaine Walker told USA Today. "They see the world through rose-colored glasses ... These sensitive souls trust that kindness will prevail, even in the face of darkness and hardship. They see everyone as equal and believe everyone deserves kindness and respect regardless of their circumstances." When someone is so positive — perhaps even embracing levels of toxic positivity — and they only see the best in people, they're setting themselves up for disappointment. Even if someone didn't develop an anxious attachment style in childhood, when people let you down enough, no matter how positive you might be, aspects of this type of attachment are bound to grow. Just like no one is perfect, despite what Virgo may try to tell themselves, not everyone is 100% good. People are flawed, and with those flaws, sometimes disappointment follows.
Scorpio (October 23 – November 21)
Another water sign likely to have an anxious attachment style? You better believe it! Again we're dealing with someone who's sensitive and feels deeply, but in this case, these feelings are impacted due to Scorpio's compassion, fierce loyalty, and — unlike Pisces — the understanding that people aren't always what they say they are. In fact, Scorpio is the most paranoid of the zodiac, according to Collective World, and is most likely to have a shady background that contributes to distrust and paranoia. Feeling and thinking this way the majority of the time inevitably leads to an anxious attachment style. It's hard to relax, stay calm, and even sleep at night when you think people are out to get you in one way or another. "With paranoia, there are delusional, false, irrational thoughts and beliefs about harm towards one, persecution, threat or conspiracy," clinical psychologist Dr. Monica Vermani told Psycom. "Paranoia is also characterized by a distrust in others and their motives, which isn't typically found in anxiety. Anxiety is generally related to self-doubt."
At its core, the anxious attachment style is the result of caregivers who weren't consistent with their baby, creating an insecurity about when, or even if, their needs might be met. Because of this, the baby learns that they can't completely rely on their caregiver so they grow up fearing rejection and abandonment, which can contribute to jealousy, low self-esteem, and even paranoid thinking, per The Attachment Project.
Gemini (May 21 to June 20)
Like their fellow air signs, Aquarius and Libra, Gemini tends to be playful, charismatic, and sociable. But with those upsides, come complicated downsides. "Gemini can have a strong mind. However, there is a lot going on in there," astrologer Noush Joon told Well + Good. "If we were to metaphorically dissect their brains, it might reveal a chaotic circus of thoughts spiraling into one another." Among all that chaos is the need to be constantly stimulated, while also being fickle and gossipy — traits that can give way to commitment issues that stem from two fears: becoming bored and being rejected, per Collective World. Where there's fear, anxiety follows.
According to a 2002 study published in Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, fear and anxiety are intricately linked. Not only is fear a natural response to the unknown causing anxious feelings, but these feelings can also induce fear that can't always be pinpointed. It's very much a vicious cycle that can be all-consuming.
While one's star sign might explain a propensity toward certain personality traits and attachment styles, astrology shouldn't be your first and last justification for all you are and everything you do. No one's entire personality is dependent on their sign, just as much as it can't be dependent on their interactions with their caregiver as an infant. As Jorge Luis Borges said, "I am all the writers that I have read, all the people that I have met, all the [people] that I have loved; all the cities I have visited." So, in other words, your sign makes up just a fraction of who you are.