How does “natural born talent” work exactly, and why does it vary so much between people?
In: Biology
Scientists still don’t know the exact origin of “natural” talent, but it is likely that most talents are not actually programmed in your DNA, but are an unintended side effect of some aspect of your life and experiences. Skills are formed through repetition and reinforcement, so if someone is able to learn and obsess constantly about a topic, then they are likely to become skilled at it.
I recall reading about one psychologist who set out to prove that child prodigies were a product of nurture, not nature. Despite the fact that he was not a very good chess player, he surrounded his own children with chess related topics throughout their childhood. Three of his four children ended up becoming Chess Masters or Grand Masters (the fourth was also very good but refused to participate in ranked competition).
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