Sunday, March 1, 2020
Outliers Summary [Intro - Chapter 2]
Outliers opens up through a small unique town in Pennsylvania named Roseto comprised of only immigrants from a town in Italy called Roseto Valfortore. This town was very different than any other town in the United States during the 1890s. The residents of Roseto had a significant low amount of heart attacks and heart disease thus making Roseto an outlier. Stewart Wolf, a physician, and John Bruhn, a sociologist, decided to figure out why and what they discovered was something unheard of to the medical community which is what inspires Malcom Gladwell to write Outliers. Chapter 1 dives into the mystery surrounding professional athletes and focuses on hockey players. When looking at a list of birthdays of professional hockey players, Gladwell points out that they are born only in the first few months of the year. It turns out that January 1st is the cut off date for many hockey leagues. As a result, many older kids get put younger kids in hockey and then they move up the chain of hockey leagues through the experience and training they receive which keeps snowballing till their skill level is actually then superior to others the same age. This phenomenon is called the Matthew Effect and can also be applies to other sports like baseball, soccer, and even academics.
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Gladwell's ability to pinpoint an issue's underlying roots is what makes his work particularly fascinating. He sticks true to the common statistical fallacy of confusing correlation for confusion by digging into matters. One wouldn't have imagined that their favorite athlete's prominence isn't a result of sheer talent but rather partly due to the time of year they were conceived in. If such a minor consequence of chance can put one in a path to success, then it begs the question of whether people are in control of their fates at all. Nevertheless, as James Clear suggests in 'Atomic Habits,' some are predisposed but not necessarily predetermined for certain outcomes. Choices and actions still remain a critical part of one's journey in life.
ReplyDeleteI have never heard about such a thing where they apply a cut off to determine the placement of hockey players. It's something very interesting to hear. So a question that comes to mind is that if two players posses the equal amount of prowess, but one player is born within the birth date criteria, would the other still be placed in the younger division?
ReplyDeleteThe answer to your question is yes, based off of what I understand. Despite being equal in skill, one will be placed with older, more experienced hockey players, making it more difficult for them to noticed as they stand in the shadows of their elders. Comparatively, the player who was able to play with the younger generation, is more likely to standout especially when compared to the less experienced. Even though this point is made, there is the still the possibility that the younger generation actually outshines the older generation.
DeleteWow I was unware that this was actually a thing, from the sound of it, it seems that does book does have interesting information to offer. Looking at it, it does make sense that people who have had more time hone a skill do rise to the top rather quickly.
ReplyDeleteThis really shows the advantage that development gives over innate talent. The talent that people have gives a slight advantage, but is greatly overshadowed by the kids development. The system that is made to choose the stars out of the bunch is actually a failure that leaves behind many people who have more talent.
ReplyDeleteGreat opening to the book, on how this Roseto mystery inspires Gladwell to write this deep and intricate book. I'm very interested in how the Matthew Effect causes not just athletes to be successful, but academic scholars as well. A few questions float in my mind about this idea like, is our life already predetermined based on this effect, or does it just increase our odds of becoming successful? I can already tell this book will lead to more explanation on how the most famous people we know have all been able to rise to the top.
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