birth month

A January Birth Might Make Babies Better Bosses

January babies are more likely to be CEOs.

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A baby with his dad outside in winter.
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From losing weight to spending more quality time with your kids, January is a month of resolutions. But for new parents who happened to have sex sometime around March, they are simply resolving to do their best at raising the newest members of their families. The good news is that research shows babies with a January birth have a number of advantages because of their birth month.

January Babies Are More Likely to Be Famous

People born in January are more likely to be famous because they’re more creative and have superior problem-solving skills, according to a study of 300 celebrities. Although the findings are limited and haven’t been replicated, there’s also evidence that January babies are more likely to suffer from bipolar disorder and other mental illnesses. Likewise, there’s an ample amount of research linking creativity to mental problems, but at least the upside is their name in lights.

Even If They’re Not Famous, They Can Still Be the Boss

January babies are more likely to grow up to be bosses, according to birthdate data on CEOs from S&P 500 companies from 1992 to 2009. The study indicates that January is among the top five CEO-producing birth months, accounting for more than 10% of CEOs. Most of this has to do with academic enrollment cut-offs and children born in January being among some of the most mature in their classes, which is why October and November also breed plenty of bosses (oddly, December babies do not make the ranks). If you’re still looking for a theme for the nursery, go with “corner office.”

And If None of That Works out, They Can Fall Back on a Professional Hockey Career

If your January spawn doesn’t turn out to be celebrity or boss material, the chances are their real strength is fighting on ice because a disproportionate amount of professional hockey players share January birthdays. One 2013 study, published in PLOS One, found that 36% of athletes drafted by NHL teams between 1980 and 2007 were born between January and March. But dads of January babies should beware, because other research indicates that this effect extends to other sports as well. It’s only a matter of time before your little Capricorn is crushing you on the court.

January Babies Have No Added Risks for Diseases

A January birth poses little added risk when it comes to developing diseases throughout life, research on nearly two million people born between 1900 and 2000 shows. However, the study shows that January babies also have no protective advantages when it comes to their birth month. In terms of health, people born in January appear to break even, which is the good news and the bad news.

People With January Births Are More Likely to Be Left-Handed

Babies born in January are more likely to be left-handed, research shows. A study of nearly 13,000 adults from Austria and Germany suggests this has something to do with infants born in January having more testosterone exposure in the womb, which can delay maturation of the left hemisphere of the brain, which is dominant among righties. Your little lefty may be eating exclusively from a nipple now, but it’s only a matter of time before they’ll grow up and you’ll be bumping into each other’s arms at the dinner — that is, unless you’re a January baby too.

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