How Much Talent Are You Really Born With?

Whether you can do long division in your head, are a virtuoso violinist, or display some other talent (and we don't mean playing the William Tell overture with your nose), it can't just be chalked up to genius you're born with. Scientists are increasingly seeing that what you were exposed to as a child affects whether your “natural” talents are accentuated or diminished.

When you developed as a baby, neurons -- the nerve cells of the brain -- were created at the rate of 500,000 per minute to reach the end result of about 100 billion neurons per baby. But the sheer number of brain cells you produce before your brain is complete isn't the key to your talents; establishing and reinforcing connections between those cells is the key to your learning and brain development. Your brain cells are waiting for signals that enable particular information to be processed.

Early experiences -- such as being exposed to both English and Chinese as an infant -- lay down neural circuits that are customized to you. The more frequently an experience is repeated, the stronger these circuits grow. The reverse is also true: If the brain has no reason to make connections for, say, Chinese language, it will eventually prune away the branches capable of such learning. Yes, you can learn another language or learn to play the piano when you're older, but it's much more difficult. Parents take note: Expose your kids to lots of different things -- repeatedly, if possible -- to allow those connections to be formed rather than having them try to catch up later.