Anyone can achieve success by defining exactly what they want, using the means they have at the time and building their own destiny from there. They can also drop the habits that lead to an undesirable life and easily pick up habits that lead to success.
But then there are other factors, apparently variable and random, that can give some people an unfair advantage over others. Some of these factors can be very curious, and in fact we have already covered some of them in previous articles. Here we draw on the excellent, detailed and well-sourced selection by Shana Lebowitz and Rachel Gillett for Business Insider, and pick the most striking ones.
Some of these factors can be sought out and learned, while others are beyond our control.
(See also: 6 unfair advantages other people may have over us in achieving success)
1. Rebellious, defiant children tend to earn more money than the rest
Several studies have found a link between being a rebellious child in early adolescence and having a higher income in adulthood.
We are not talking about rebellion in the sense of criminal acts or a loss of values, but about following norms or breaking rules. Those children who find it hard to follow established rules, or who don’t readily accept that something has to be done a certain way because authority says so, are the ones who, as adults, don’t follow the same norms as everyone else and create their own rules. And that is an ingredient very much present in successful people.
The study says that children with a high IQ got better jobs in adulthood, but the rebellious ones ended up earning more money.
Examples of children who were rebellious and defied authority: Richard Branson, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg…
2. Parents’ high expectations for their children matter more than the family’s socioeconomic level
The research suggests that while a family’s socioeconomic level exponentially increases the chances of a promising financial future for the children who grow up in it, this may not be related to the socioeconomic level as such, but to the parents’ expectations.
When a poor family has high expectations for its child, the child tends to meet them more easily.
It is fairly obvious: if you raise your child on the false premise that, because you are poor, your child won’t be able to be as successful as the children of the rich, you are bringing about a self-fulfilling outcome.
Put even more simply: if you plan your child’s future around working in the town factory, your child will be at a disadvantage compared with those other children whose parents expect them to become a doctor, a lawyer or a great entrepreneur.
Whether you tell your child they are worth a lot or that they are not worth much, in both cases you are conditioning them to reach the outcome that matches your vision.
3. The month you were born can influence your success
And not because a horoscope has more stars on your side. Malcolm Gladwell discussed this in his book Outliers, where he explained that, as it happens, more professional athletes are born in January than in any other month in countries where the cut-off date is 31 December.
In other words, a nine-year-old born in January is the same age as one born in December, but at that age the one born in January is more developed physically, mentally and emotionally than the one born in December, because he is almost a year older. So if a scout watches both players in a match, he will lean towards the one who looks more “finished” as a player, and that is often the one born in January.
Researchers have observed that this also happens among company CEOs, finding that the number born in June and July is much lower than the number born in other months. That is because the school cut-off date makes those born in these months the youngest in their class, which can put them at an early intellectual disadvantage.
4. Exercise and maths help you become more successful
Several studies have found that better performance in maths at primary and secondary school is associated with a higher salary later on. Whether or not they went on to graduate from university, students who took advanced algebra and geometry courses earned more money than the rest.
See also: David Lai’s advice for success in business
Likewise, students who exercised regularly and took part in a sports team proved to be more effective students and went on to be more successful than groups of students who neither exercised regularly nor belonged to any sports team.
5. Healthy sleep habits are linked to better academic results
Studies confirm the obvious: not resting enough and not sleeping the recommended hours mean our brain doesn’t work at full capacity. And this applies not only to studying but even to the decisions we make as adults.
People with healthy sleep habits have been shown to be more successful than those who don’t get the sleep they need. If you sleep less, you perform less. If you sleep more, you perform more. There isn’t much science behind this.
6. More attractive people tend to be more successful
On average, more attractive people tend to be hired more easily and promoted faster than others. Quite simply, people like them more.
Behind this may lie the famous “halo effect”, a bias that makes us see qualities in a person simply because they are attractive, even if they don’t really have the qualities we are attributing to them.
But don’t worry: we can’t make you better-looking, but we can make you more attractive. See: 16 ways to be more attractive.
7. A sense of humour helps you be more successful
People with a sense of humour tend to cope much better with difficulties and also manage to build better relationships than others. In other words, people like them more, and this kind of character makes others feel more at ease and comfortable.
On the scientific side, a sense of humour brings a good mood that makes you smile more, which releases dopamine, a neurotransmitter that keeps depression a little further away and makes you more efficient, creative and engaged.
Even for leaders, humour helps them win employees’ trust, because they come across as more empathetic and approachable.
8. Narcissists and people with psychopathic traits tend to be more successful
The truth is that scoring high on these “dark” traits can help you be more successful, despite what popular belief says.
Mind you, we are not talking about having a clinical problem, but about scoring high on these traits. Narcissists tend to have a grandiose sense of self, but that also makes them better negotiators and helps them make a good first impression, especially in companies.
Despite popular belief, at the other extreme we would have the super-agreeable person, a trait that, according to one study, can be harmful to your career.
And finally, as we wrote in a previous article, psychopaths tend to be running companies, not sitting in prison (at least people with psychopathic traits). This is because apparently major personality flaws, such as a lack of empathy, can also help you feel no remorse over many of the decisions that sometimes have to be made in the business world. One way or another, that coldness seems to help people be more successful.
(See: Why acting like a psychopath can help you be more successful)
9. People with deeper voices tend to be chosen for leadership positions
Research suggests that political candidates with deeper voices are more likely to win elections.
Everything seems to indicate that a deep voice can give you more credibility in a speech. And the same goes for company CEOs.
10. Overweight people are seen as less competent than thin people
There is a weight bias, probably an unfair one, when it comes to hiring someone.
In one experiment, men and women selected candidates from CVs that included photos of thin people, and others showing the same people digitally altered to look obese.
The experiment left no room for doubt. Most chose the thin people, even though they had the same knowledge and work experience.
Other studies have tried to show that people’s brains perceive an obese person as more careless and as having less willpower than their thinner peers.
Looking back, however, no experiment or study has found any real difference in intellectual or professional competitiveness between thin and obese people. It is purely a matter of perception, and just as the halo effect works in someone’s favour, it can also work the other way.
See also: What leads you to poverty, according to the author of Secrets of the Millionaire Mind
Featured image: Clayton Shonkwiler, CC BY 2.0, via Flickr.
