2007/07/06 by Fernand Gobet, Philippe Chassy · 1 citation
Psychology · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · Social Sciences · #Cognitive Abilities and Testing #Occupational and Professional Licensing Regulation #Intergenerational and Educational Inequality Studies
paper · doi:10.1017/s0021932007002222
openalex publication_date 2007/07/06 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/27
The origin of talent and expertise is currently the subject of intense debate, with explanations ranging from purely biological to purely environmental. This report shows that the population of expert chess players in the northern hemisphere shows a seasonal pattern, with an excess of births in late winter and early spring. This effect remains when taking into account the distribution of births in the population at large, using statistics from the European Union member countries. A similar pattern has been found with schizophrenia, and the possible link between these two phenomena is discussed.