Late bloomers often outperform youth prodigies, research suggested.
A study of 34,000 high achievers found that, across various disciplines, those who achieved elite performance early on were not always the same people who reached pinnacles in adulthood. The researchers suggested that the prodigies specialized in a single discipline — “a pianist plays no other instrument; a swimmer stays off the running track,” in The New York Times’ words — while later bloomers dabbled in multiple fields.
The study has limitations: It’s impossible to randomize children to different careers. And being a clever child probably still portends being a successful adult. A 2023 study found that “gifted” youths tend to earn more and have more successful careers than the average.