What produces talent? It’s an age-old question. We all remember the early prodigies. Take the brilliant composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who began composing at age 5 and wrote his first opera at 12, or mathematician Blaise Pascal, who crafted a significant mathematical treatise by 16.
For decades, scientists have reported that youthful success and narrowly focused practice leads to peak performance later in life. The earlier one begins, and the more hours of practice, the better. But a team of scientists from Germany, Austria, and the United States recently noticed that most of this research failed to take exceptional late bloomers into account. We’ve all heard their stories: Scientist John Goodenough, for instance, won a Nobel Prize in chemistry at the ripe old age of 97.
To get a better handle on the relationship between peak performance in youth and in adulthood, and the factors underlying the highest levels of human achievement, the researchers recently reviewed newly available datasets covering 34,000 adult international top performers in classical music, Olympic sports, and chess as well as Nobelists. Their findings, published in the journal Science, should give heart to late bloomers and discipline dabblers the world over.
The early prodigies and the adult standouts, they found, were generally two totally distinct groups with little overlap. Those who peaked at a young age tended to narrowly focus on a single talent and engage in disciplined practice, but exceptional adults typically reached their peak more gradually, performing less well early on, and tended to develop talent in many different areas of interest. The researchers also found that among the most talented adults, better performance in one’s youth actually predicted worse peak performance later.
Read more: “Not All Practice Makes Perfect”
The patterns were remarkably similar across disciplines: Only 10 percent of the world’s top-10 youth chess players and top-10 adult players were the same individuals. A similar number crossed over when it came to top-tier high school and university students as well as international-level youth athletes and adult athletes. “The similar developmental pattern of world-class performers across different domains suggests widespread, if not universal, principles underlying the acquisition of exceptional human performance,” the authors wrote in the study.
They provided a few explanations for their findings. Trying out many things helps people figure out where their true talents lie and builds flexible thinking and learning skills and creative problem-solving that pay off later. Early specialization can also lead to burnout. Ultimately, the findings suggest that the way we currently train for elite performance may miss the mark: Most institutions choose kids who show early promise and then push them to practice their craft repeatedly. This kind of intense specialization can produce very gifted teenagers but may miss the kinds of achievers who will become outstanding adults.
What talent scouts should really look for, the authors advise: above-average early performance, steady progress, and serious engagement in multiple fields before the focus narrows. In other words, exploration, patience, and breadth may win the day and produce the greatest genius.
So if you haven’t hit your stride quite yet, take solace. It’s a brand new year and you have your whole life ahead of you, whether you’ve clocked 12 years on this planet, or are about to hit 92. 
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