People make references to the month they were born in all the time to explain certain aspects of themselves.
“I can’t stand the cold! I was born in July, I guess I’ll always be a summer baby at heart.”
“If I had to choose snow or sand, I would always choose snow. I was born in February, after all!”
While most of this is just casual talk, perhaps there’s more to the month we were born in than we may have originally thought.
There have been a few studies on babies born in April that perhaps their birth month has played a role in some characteristics of those people. Of course, we don’t know for sure, but there are some pretty neat associations for people born in this month. 100% true or not, it’s still fun to read about.
The Science is in: Why April Babies are So Special
April is the first true month of spring and often brings some sunshine, warmer temperatures, the first flowers, and longer daylight hours. A few studies that have been done on babies born in April have come up with some interesting results.
Low Asthma Risk
A study published in The Journal of Informatics in Health and Biomedicine looking at how birth month affects lifetime disease risk found that babies born in April have a lower risk of respiratory issues such as asthma. This could be because April babies are exposed to the pollen and allergies in the spring air earlier than babies born other months of the year. (1)
Born Leaders
A study done by The University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business found that babies born in April are one of the more-likely groups to become CEOs and business leaders later in life. The study concluded that this likely has to do with how kids are grouped in school. April babies are in the older portion of the class, which means in the early preschool and kindergarten years, they will be further along in their development and more likely to assume a leadership role in the class. (2)
Optimists
Turns out, there is actually a scale you can test people on to determine how likely they are to have a naturally more positive outlook. This is known as the hyperthermic scale. The higher your score, the more naturally optimistic you will likely be. A Hungarian study found that spring babies, including those in April, are more likely to have a high scale and therefore positive outlook on life than those born other times of the year. (3)
Night Owls
A study published by the Sleep Research Society found that babies born in the spring and summer months were more likely to go to bed and subsequently reach sleep mid-point later than those born in autumn or winter. The study also found, however, that this really only applied to males, and that females tended to go to bed earlier regardless of birth month. Overall, this study reflected previous studies showing that those in spring and summer preferred going to bed later. While the results were statistically significant, thy were quantitatively small (4).
Need More Sun Protection
Several studies have been conducted on how the time of year you are born in can affect your risk for developing melanoma later in life. While the results of these studies have been mixed and inconclusive, it’s still something to think about. April babies possibly have an increased risk, which researchers think has to do with being exposed to UV rays earlier in life. This is why it is extra important for parents of spring and summer babies to impress the use of sunscreen and protective clothing on their children. (5) Of course, regardless of your birth month, smart sun protection is always a good idea. While this may not be a positive note, or ‘special’ its certainly interesting.
Obviously, all babies are special for many reasons, not just the month they were born in. Epidemiological studies, like many on this list, only find association and don’t deal with cause and effect. So taking the results can be done with a grain of salt, and there are always exceptions to the rules. That being said, to all the April babies out there: feel free to share this with your non-April born friends and family members to remind them just how amazing you are!