New Britain herald., 1927-06-17
Your Health How to Keep It.
 Causes of Illness
ARE GENIUSES BORN OR
 MADE?
BY DIR. MORRIS FISHBEIN Editor Journal of the American Medical Association and of lily.
 geia, the Health Magazine.

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 Members of the department of psychology N Stanford University have recently made available the re- suits of study of the factors re- sponsible for what we know as gen. jus. They studied the life records of 300 eminent men and women of history. paying particular attention to their early behavior, their bright ness while young. their energy. their ancestry and their body-bguild. , Among the factors concerned in the production of genius, are home, home training and discipline, home interests, education. and the amount of travel and reading. Interests were rated as to intellectual and social activity. as we'll as to their breadth and intensity. Sixty-seven traits of character were recorded such as balance, desire to be liked by others. bravery. forcefulness. perserverance. and similar attrib- utes.
 Genius Shows Early.
 The conclusions reached by this study have the greatest interest for any parent or for any one who wants to know what the factors are that make for success. For in- stance. there were among the most eminent men some who, in child hood, had intelligence below the highest order. This is explained on the grounds that high but not the highest intelligence. combined with the greatest degree of persist ence, will achieve greater eminence than the highest degree of intein- gence with somewhat less persis- tence.
 Persons who achieved eminence as artists are characterized by cer- tain personality trends: degree Of esthetic feeling. desire to excell and belief in their own powers They have also originality of ideas. in teliigence and persistence of motive.
 Persons who achieved eminence as writers were above the average in the good traits of character They rated lower in persistence jand balance but higher in all the social traits and in the emotional than did the average eminent man. They were characterized also by a de- gree of imaginativeness. esthetic feeling and amount of work spent on pleasures that were higher than for other groups. They also exce4d- ed the average eminent man in their desire to be leaders. in rating their special talents correctly. in originality of idea, in strength of vation. They fell below the aver age in soundness of common sense and in the degree to which action and thought are dependent on req son.
 How Musicians Rate.
 Musicians rate lower in intellec- tual activity. intellectual social traits and physical activity but higher in esthetic feeling. originality of ideas, persistence in the face Of obstacles. and quiet determination.
 Scientists rated disproportionately high in strength or force of charac- ter In intellectual traits, and in &C., tivity and balance: but dispropor- tionately low in social and self traits. These observations confirm the common impression.
 The investigators conclude that the rare and striking personality of genius was manifested even in early youth by behavior that devil ated from that of the average indi vidual 60 pronouncedly that the rec ord of its appearance was preserved in documentary form. Even in his earliest years the personality of the genius was something more than the sum of its extraordinary parts.