The 10 Best Things About Geminis

Out of all the signs arrayed in a circle like pizza slices around the zodiac wheel, Gemini probably has the worst reputation for being unpredictable. But what if “unpredictable” is just a meaner way of saying “complicated”?

The two brightest stars in the constellation Gemini are Pollux and Castor, who in Greek mythology were the sons of Helen of Troy. But here’s the catch and where it gets very complicated—they both came from separate pairs of boy/girl twins. They were both technically twins, but not with each other, because they didn’t come in the same pair. They’re brothers from the same mother but two separate baby daddies, one of whom is divine, one of whom is human. Pollux was fathered by Zeus, king of the gods, and was thus immortal. Castor was fathered by a human and was eventually slain in battle. Because they grew up together, the immortal Castor missed his brother Pollux terribly after his death, and he begged Zeus to reunite them. And reunited they were—for eternity, but they have to spend half of their time in the underworld and half of their time in heaven.

As a result, there’s a good side and a bad side to Gemini. These are the ten traits that define Gemini’s good side. For the other side of the story, read “The 10 Worst Things About Gemini.”

1. Sociable

Warm, friendly, affable, approachable, and extroverted, Geminis love to be the center of attention and the life of the party. They are definitely not shrinking violets, wallflowers, or homebodies. Since they are also highly adaptable (see #2), they can easily fit in with just about any social situation, whether it’s a lowbrow barbecue where everyone’s getting foul-mouthed and tipsy or a highbrow wine-and-cheese party honoring a graduating class of physicists. They have an uncanny knack for making nearly anyone feel like a lifelong friend, no matter how innately different they are and even if they just met them and don’t even know their name.

2. Flexible

Gemini is air sign that is able to catch the breeze and sail effortlessly no matter which way the wind blows. A mutable modality, they go with the flow and can adapt to any situation as easily as water takes the shape of whatever you pour it into. Like chameleons, they can easily blend into new environments. Tradition is unimportant to them, as are rules, regulations, and taboos. They are unafraid of change; in fact, they welcome it. If things aren’t changing quickly enough, they might be the ones to initiate change. They never get stuck in the past because they are too busy anticipating—and sometimes creating—the future. 

3. Talkative

Geminis are the Chatty Cathys of the zodiac. They can talk to anyone about anything for any length of time and always make it interesting. This is because their ruling planet is Mercury, which governs communication. They are so glib and engaging that even if they dial a wrong number, they might wind up talking to that person for an hour and make a new friend in the process. They are great conversationalists, but even if you aren’t pulling your weight in the conversation, they’ll pick up the slack: You could put the phone down, go make yourself breakfast, take a shower, fix your hair, and come back, and they’ll still be talking. Even better, it’ll still be interesting, and you’ll wind up wondering what you missed.

4. Articulate

Although “talkative” and “articulate” might sound like the same thing, “talkative” applies to impromptu conversations between people, whereas “articulate” refers to Gemini’s ability to make common ideas sound profound or to make complex ideas understandable to ordinary people. Maybe you never understood what calculus is? Gemini will teach you in five minutes in the simplest of terms. They can use words like a master painter uses colors or like a classically trained musician uses notes. Gemini rules the Third House of Communication, which makes them adept at writing, broadcasting, and public relations. 

5. Smart

As anyone who’s at least a little bit intelligent knows, there are several forms of intelligence. There’s the type where you’re great at logic and spatial analysis, which makes you score well on standardized tests. Then there’s the type of intelligence where you may not be able to spell complex words or calculate baseball batting averages in your head, but you can read people’s body language and discern what they really mean despite what they’re saying. Since Gemini is so fluid and adaptable, they are a mix of both forms of intelligence: They can read books and people with equal ease. They have book smarts and street smarts, which makes them both brainy and intuitive. And trust me: Unless you want to lose, you don’t want to debate them.

6. Curious

Because boredom and familiarity feel like death to Gemini, they love seeing and learning new things. Like all air signs, they thrive on variety, stimulation, forward movement, and adventure. If you take them to a restaurant, they will scour the menu to find something they’ve never eaten before. If you ask them where they want to go on vacation, it will always be someplace they’ve never seen. Even if something may be potentially risky or unpleasant, Gemini will not take your word for it—they want to find out for themselves. Which brings us to the next item…

7. Daring

This is the natural result of Gemini’s curiosity and the culmination of their fear of boredom and stability. There is no idea they find too repugnant or crazy-sounding that they won’t at least give it a fair hearing. They are willing to try anything once—twice if they really like it. And although being daring carries dangers and risks, we’d all still be living in caves and grass huts without risk-takers. Here are some famous Gemini scientists are explorers who made the world a better place because they weren’t afraid of testing new ideas and venturing out into the unknown.

8. Funny

Humor is the ability to find the irony and silliness in ordinary situations. It’s the knack for unearthing that was lurking beneath the surface all along and breathing life into it through words and expressions. Pairing their skills of communication with their natural fluidity allows Geminis to look at things from a wide degree of angles that would never occur to most other mere mortals. Like a skilled boxer, this makes them quick on their feet and able to come at you from unexpected directions. This is why they are the class clowns of the zodiac.

9. Honest

Although Geminis are gregarious and social, they often find that endlessly schmoozing with people, rubbing elbows, and pressing the flesh can be exhausting for one simple reason: When it comes to being popular, honesty is not always the best policy. In fact, it’s probably the worst possible policy. What Gemini has in terms of charm, they often lack in terms of tact. They will not offer an unsolicited negative opinion, but if you ask them something, don’t be offended if they give you their honest answer. They can’t help it. Truth is like God to them, and to lie, even a little, constitutes blasphemy.

10. Empathetic

Geminis can relate to almost anyone because there isn’t an emotion they haven’t experienced or a situation they haven’t encountered. Whether it’s joy or sadness, optimism or pessimism, rage or tranquility, they’ve felt it and can relate to it. So the flip side of being great talkers is that they are also great listeners. As long as you approach them with respect, they will listen to your problems and offer you heartfelt advice. As astrologer Colin Bedell—who is literally a Gemini twin along with his sister Courtney—puts it, “We make people feel less alone because we are twins.”