What Are the Personality Traits of a Cancer? A Complete Guide to the Zodiac Sign

Cancer is a sun sign unlike any other in the zodiac.

“Cancer is ruled by the moon,” California-based astrologer Natalia Benson tells PEOPLE. “When people say that Cancers are moody, think of their ruling planet,” she says. “No other sign in the zodiac has a planet that changes signs every two to three days. … It’s running through a lot of different energy.”

As Benson explains, Cancers are also unique in their ability to act as a catalyst for that which is new. “Cancers are so powerful and strong, because they are the initiating water signs,” she says.

Unlike the fixed signs that mark the middle of each season (Taurus, Leo, Scorpio and Aquarius), which Benson says are all about preserving the status quo and “holding consistent to something,” or the ever-evolving mutable signs of Gemini, Virgo, Sagittarius and Pisces, which mark change and the end of a season, Benson says cardinal signs, like Cancer, spark new seasons — and beginnings. “Cardinal is about initiation,” she says. “It’s about, ‘I’m gonna start something and I’m gonna lead, [and] I’m gonna do it in a totally new way.’ ”

Keep reading to learn more about the sign of Cancer, its most and least compatible signs and what’s in store for the sign in 2024.

What are the Cancer dates for 2024?

In 2024, Cancer season will start a day earlier than it did in 2023, landing on June 20.

“The [summer] solstice is the mark of the beginning of Cancer season,” Benson explains. “The … start of Cancer season is always going to be aligned with [the] summer solstice.”

According to Benson, your sun sign won’t change with the shifting of the solstice, known as the precession of the equinoxes, however. “[In] astrology, we don’t necessarily look at it that way,” she says. “The moment you were born — that’s what we look at. That’s the chart we’re going to read.”

This year’s Cancer season will end on July 22.

What are the key personality traits of the Cancer?

As a water sign, Benson notes that Cancers have strong ties to their emotions and their connections to others. “They have this powerful quality of [wanting] to create emotional connection, safety and stability,” she says. “They value relationships.”

Often thought of as the “caretakers of the zodiac” due to their highly sensitive and nurturing natures — traits Benson calls “hallmarks” of the sign — their emotionality is their “superpower.” “Cancers have this very powerful emotional acuity,” she says, adding, “They’re very deep.”

The astrologer notes that Cancers are also very adept when it comes to spending and saving. “Cancer can be known as the money sign,” she says. “They are deeply, deeply powerful when it comes to money.”

As she explains, their desire for financial security comes from a need for safety and stability. “They just have an instinctual type of quality where they are here to initiate that which will create [financial] safety.”

What zodiac signs are most and least compatible with the Cancer?

When it comes to finding the best match for a Cancer, Benson says it all depends on a potential partner’s full birth chart. “Every personality is so multifaceted,” she reasons.

As a general rule of thumb, however, a Cancer would inherently look for someone who could provide them with feelings of comfort. “One of their deepest values is … emotional safety,” Benson says.

Just like the crab that represents them, those born under this astrological sign tend to retreat into themselves when they’re unsure of a person’s intentions. “They have to really suss out and make sure that someone is a safe emotional match for them,” she explains — and for good reason. “Cancers can be givers — and sometimes overgivers,” Benson explains. “They have to be mindful not to be in intimate dynamics with people … [who don’t] have that appreciation for all of the love and the safety that the Cancer personality wants to provide for them.”

Generally, Benson says that Cancer’s fellow water signs of Scorpio and Pisces can be “very nourishing and nurturing for the Cancer.”

She also suggests that Cancers may find an “interesting match” in the other cardinal signs of Aries and Libra. As Benson explains, since Aries and Libra are square to Cancer, there can be some friction between them, but also some simpatico, given the way they function as modalities. “There’s gonna be this sort of tension in the air in that relationship, but there’s also gonna be a way that they synchronize and work together,” she reasons.

While Capricorn is also a cardinal sign like that of Cancer, Aries and Libra, Benson says it may stir up greater tension for the sign than Aries and Libra will. “Cancers with Capricorn, that’s your opposite,” she says. “There’s a lot of … intensity when you’re dealing with someone who’s completely opposite of you.”

According to Benson, the strain between the signs stems from intrinsic differences in their core values. “Cancers are very emotionally run, they have a lunar ruler … so they function in this emotionally sensitive, deep subconscious type of way,” she says. “Capricorn is ruled by Saturn. Saturn is very different to a lunar-ruled sign. … It doesn’t really so much dwell in the realm of feeling and intuition.”

Which celebrities are Cancer?

Benson cites Kevin Hart (born on July 6, 1979) and Khloé Kardashian (June 27, 1984) as quintessential Cancers.

Harkening back to the Cancer’s nose for money, Benson points to Hart’s comedic empire. “He has such a multifaceted business sense,” she says. “There is an instinctually to Cancerians and an intuition that’s very powerful.”

Benson also notes Hart’s penchant for nurturing his friendships and relationships. “You can tell he brings his friends [up] with him,” she says, noting that he often gives credit to his loved ones for his success. “He’s very … very connected to his mother. That’s very Cancerian.”

According to Benson, Kardashian is also a model Cancer as the reality star exhibits an openness and a caring nature Benson associates with the sign. “What I’ve experienced of her is emotional vulnerability [and] emotional openness,” she says. “Obviously she is a mother. … [Cancers] want to take care [of] and nurture and nourish other people,” she adds.

Benson also points to Taylor Swift, who has the sign of Cancer in her moon placement. “What’s interesting about Taylor is that you feel like you know her because she’s so emotionally open,” she says.

Referring to Swift’s most recent album, The Tortured Poets Department, Benson notes, “She’s found a way to storytell and [bring] that deep Cancerian moon, that emotional acuity, into her music.”

What should Cancers be prepared for in 2024?

As with every Cancer season, 2024 will be a reflective one for the Cancer. “When it’s a sign’s birthday season, it’s like a metaphorical new year. It’s like a rebirth of the self,” Benson shares, noting that Cancers “have a lot of energy powered in this area of their life to do something new.”

Asks Benson: “Are there habits, are there ideas, are there things that you’ve held about yourself at an emotional level that don’t need to go with you into this next year of your life?”

The astrologer also encourages those born under the zodiac sign to take heed of the two full moons that will fall in Capricorn — Cancer’s opposing sign. “That’s rare,” Benson says, noting that a typical Cancer season will only see one full moon in Capricorn.

According to Benson, 2024’s second full moon in the sign is significant in that it will create opposition for Cancers and invite them into “some new deeper awareness.” “Full moons are meant to illuminate emotional patterns of the subconscious,” she says. “For Cancers, that pull toward Capricorn can be an invitation to get grounded in a certain area of their life.”

Tension or otherwise, Benson says this invite can have positive results. “It really can be a healthy counterbalance to [any] imbalance [in] Cancer’s emotions.”