Editor’s note: This article was first published in September 2014; the ‘recent study’ it describes refers to research publicised that year.
Are you good at maths? Then you are more likely to earn more money than other people. Do you have social skills? Then you will be more successful and earn more money. Are you good at maths and do you also have social skills? Then your income will be well above average.
At least, that is the conclusion of a recent study from the University of California, and it makes sense even beyond the data the researchers provide.
After following a significant number of people from the time they finished secondary school in 1972, the researchers found years later that those who had scored higher in maths earned more than those with somewhat more mediocre scores.
Likewise, active participation in sports, leadership roles and social skills showed that those people had been more successful than the rest (at least in terms of income).
Those who had both qualities, on the other hand, turned out to behave like geniuses when it came to multiplying their income, whether in their own business or working as employees for a company.
The study’s authors based their findings only on the scores and activities of the individuals in secondary school and university, so they chose not to speculate about why these results come about.
Still, it all makes sense, especially when it comes to social skills. Knowing how to get along with others, working in a team and having leadership qualities help you build a much wider circle. They also help you negotiate a salary, and even land a better job. In the same way, social skills can help you be more successful in sales.
Being good at maths makes it easier to understand numbers, whether you are talking about managing your money or planning your personal finances, and it even helps with investing. Perhaps the explanation lies in the complexity of mathematics: a person who devotes time to understanding and applying it develops a more cultivated mind, and that translates into a sharper brain in every other area of their life.
If we read between the lines of some of this study’s data, parents should make an effort to have their children, in addition to their hours of study, take part in team activities, not just individual ones, where they can work with other people and even take on leadership roles.
Further reading
- 25 habits of successful people
- 7 lessons for success from the commander of the SEALs who hunted down Bin Laden
Featured image: Frederick Post Co, Sally K. Ride, CC0 1.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
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