A Date With Destiny

If your birthday falls in February or March, you may be especially
resolute; and an April or May birthday may increase your chances of being
a novelty-seeker. According to researchers who surveyed more than 2,000
people in Umeå, Sweden, seasons of birth may be connected with
certain personality traits.

The Scandinavian scientists also linked season of birth with
neurotransmitters that are known to influence personality and behavior.
Among 241 adults with mood or anxiety disorders, researchers found that
those born between February and April generally had lower levels of the
brain chemical serotonin than did those born at other times of the year.
Low levels of this chemical are implicated in depression and
anxiety.

The investigators, led by Jayanti Chotai, M.D., an associate
professor of psychiatric epidemiology at the University Hospital of
Umeå, have also found a provocative link between season of birth and
behavior. The records of 1,466 people who committed suicide indicate that
many of those born between February and April died by hanging that is, by
violent means rather than by less violent means, such as inhaling gas
fumes.

Do any of these findings support the belief that personality traits
conform to signs of the zodiac? It doesn't look like it. Late-summer Leos
are supposed to persist on course in spite of obstacles. But Chotai found
that men born between February and April not in August are in fact most
likely to evince steely resolve.

Chotai's findings were published in the journal
Neuropsychobiology.