Is it true that “a three-year-old’s behavior predicts their personality, and a seven-year-old’s their fate”?
Since the early period of the Southern and Northern Dynasties in China, folk customs have included a practice called “Trảo chu” (object selection), which is used to guess a child’s preferences, personality, and even their future occupation. Most people view this custom with skepticism or curiosity.
In 1980, a professor at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, UK, conducted an experiment involving 1,000 local three-year-old children. He analyzed and recorded their personalities.
Twenty-three years later, the professor reconnected with these 1,000 individuals, now aged 26. He was surprised to find that their personalities remained almost identical to how they were when they were three.
This experiment lends credence to the ancient saying, “Tam tuế khán đại, thất tuế khán lão,” which translates to, “3-year-old’s behavior predicts their personality, and a 7-year-old’s their fate.”
Additionally, the experiment highlights the impact of early personality education and development for children, which can profoundly influence their future growth.
A child’s personality at age three can predict their adult personality, and their fate can be glimpsed at age seven. (Illustrative image)
A child’s personality can be determined from birth
Howard Gardner, a psychologist from Harvard University, proposed the theory of multiple intelligences. He believed that humans possess eight types of intelligence: linguistic, logical-mathematical, musical, spatial, bodily-kinesthetic, interpersonal, intrapersonal, and naturalistic.
Some individuals are born with a natural aptitude for language, while others excel in thinking and logic. This diversity in strengths is why we increasingly embrace a developmentally diverse approach, catering to each child’s unique abilities. Introverted children often lean towards photography, writing, and music, while extroverted children thrive in communication-heavy fields like business and consulting.
Introversion and extroversion are two facets of personality. There is no inherent good or bad when it comes to a child’s personality type, so parents need not worry if their child is introverted and less talkative.
While a child’s personality is determined at birth, the developing brain still requires guidance, nurturing, and emotional support during its critical growth stages. Research indicates that the first 1,000 days after birth are crucial for brain development. By age three, the number of axons in a child’s brain reaches about 85% of the adult level. Thus, from infancy to age three is a vital period for cognitive and emotional development.
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