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The time of a year in which a person is born has been linked to physiological and psychological changes to humans. Unlike Astrology, the scientific researches on the seasonality of births are usually trying to establish causal relationships (correlation ratios) with physical and mental health.[1] Hippocrates recognized the importance of season of birth in 460 BC.[2]
Description[]
Scientific researches in the field of seasonality of birth are one of the important and perspective concept in statistical human physiology and epidemiology. Despite the large number of works realized by research teams and individual researchers of different fields of physiology and medicine[3] all this works trying to explain the reasons for discovered ratios of any hypothesis. It is the main cause of the impossibility of association results in a unified system of knowledge. Probably there is point to consider the results of such researches only how statistically accurate information while there is no consensus.
The results of the scientific researches[]
Influence on medical conditions[]
The season in which babies are born can have a dramatic effect on their future risk relating to the development of conditions such as neurological disorders, seasonal affective disorder, bipolar depression, schizophrenia[1] and type I diabetes.[4] Research has shown that the season a baby is born in can have a major effect on whether or not you will become a heavy smoker or not. This even varies between men to women.[5]
As a factor in infant grown[]
The season during which a birth takes place has been linked to the weight development of the infant as well as initial weight.[6]
As a factor in academic development[]
There is evidence that suggests that children who are born earlier while they attend the same academic year with others, gain an advantage:
- "In Britain the academic year begins in September, and there may be almost a year's chronological age difference between the eldest (September birthday) and youngest (August birthday) children in the same class. There is evidence that, in this context, children born in the autumn term (September to December birthdays) perform better academically, relative to their class peers, than those born in the spring term (January to April birthdays), who in turn outperform those born in the summer term (May to August birthdays)." [7]
As a suicide risk factor[]
- See also: Seasonal effects on suicide rates
Birth rates of people who later kill themselves show disproportionate excess for April, May and June compared with the other months. Overall, the risk of suicide increases by 17% for people born in the spring–early summer compared with those born in the autumn–early winter; this risk increase was larger for women (29.6%) than for men (13.7%).[8]
Research works in Sweden show that those who preferred hanging rather than poisoning or petrol gases were significantly more likely to be born during February–April. Maximum of the month-of-birth curve for preferring hanging was for March–April and the minimum was for September–October.[9]
See also[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Season of birth defines personality [1]
- ↑ Y. Zheng, H. Pan, D. Ye. Season of birth: A potential influential factor for quality of life.Medical Hypotheses, Volume 72, Issue 5, Pages 609-610. [2]
- ↑ Google search [3]
- ↑ PE Watson and BW McDonald (2007). Seasonal variation of nutrient intake in pregnancy: effects on infant measures and possible influence on diseases related to season of birth European Journal of Clinical Nutrition 61, 1271–1280; DOI:10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602644 [4]
- ↑ Riala, Kaisa, Helinä Hakko, Anja Taanila, and Pirkko Räsänen (2009). SEASON OF BIRTH AND SMOKING: FINDINGS FROM THE NORTHERN FINLAND 1966 BIRTH COHORT. Chronobiology International 26 (8): 1660–1672.
- ↑ "Season Of Birth May Be Factor In Infant Growth" [5]
- ↑ Russell and Startup, (1986), found in: Ford, J. G. T. & Goodman, R. (2002) Does season of birth matter? The relationship between age within the school year (season of birth) and educational difficulties among a representative general population sample of children and adolescents (aged 5-15) in Great Britain. Research in Education [6]
- ↑ E. Salib and M. Cortnia-Borja. Effect of month of birth on the risk of suicide. The British Journal of Psychiatry, May 1, 2006; 188(5): 416 - 422. [7]
- ↑ Chotai J, Salander Renberg E. Season of birth variations in suicide methods in relation to any history of psychiatric contacts support an independent suicidality trait. J Affect Disord 2002; 69: 69-81. (CrossRef) [8]
Further reading[]
- Gavrilov LA, Gavrilova NS. Early-Life Exposure, Season of Birth and Gender Differences in Human Life Span. Science, 2004, 305(5691): 1739 (letter published in Science online).
- Gavrilov, L.A., Gavrilova, N.S. Season of birth and human longevity. Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine, 1999, 2(4): 365-366.
- Gavrilov LA, Gavrilova NS. Early-Life Programming of Aging and Longevity: The Idea of High Initial Damage Load (the HIDL Hypothesis). Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2004, 1019: 496-501.
- Gavrilova N.S., Gavrilov L.A., Evdokushkina, G.N., Semyonova, V.G. Early-life predictors of human longevity: Analysis of the 19th Century birth cohorts. Annales de Demographie Historique, 2003, 2: 177-198.
- Gavrilov, L.A., Gavrilova, N.S. Early-life factors modulating lifespan. In: Rattan, S.I.S. (Ed.). Modulating Aging and Longevity. 2003. Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, 2003, 27-50.
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