June Babies Are Bigger And Taller Adults June babies tend to be larger at birth and tend to mature into taller adults, according to a study of 450,000 people from the UK. Low birthweight has been linked with infant mortality, developmental disorders, and a host of other conditions, so being born big is nothing to sniff at. The British study also found that individuals born in June are less likely to go through puberty early, which can increase the risk for HPV, teen pregnancy, breast cancer, depression, and diabetes. Meanwhile, growing into a taller adult is just a bonus. Use it to reach the top-shelf bourbon so you can toast your special day in style. They’re Not Protected From Diseases, but Not at Risk Either One study of 1,447 people born between 1920 and 1940 found that those with June birthdays were at higher risk for heart disease and diabetes, but a much larger study of nearly two million adults debunked this, and found that June babies are at no greater risk of disease than anyone else. True, June babies lack some of the disease protections the study identified among babies born in February, March, April, May, and July. But June babies can be confident that they’re not at any particular health disadvantage. They Have Better Internal Clocks…If They’re Mice Mice born in June have better internal clocks, according to a fascinating study in Nature Neuroscience. Sort of. When newborn mice were exposed to summer light cycles, they stuck to more consistent internal clocks and predictable behavioral patterns than mice exposed to winter light cycles prior to weaning — even when mice in the winter group were exposed to summer light after weaning. Study authors suspect that this is a result of seasonal imprinting, and could apply to humans too. “We know that the biological clock regulates mood in humans. If an imprinting mechanism similar to the one that we found in mice operates in humans, then it could not only have an effect on a number of behavioral disorders but also have a more general effect on personality,” study coauthor Douglas McMahon, a professor of Biological Sciences at Vanderbilt University, said in a statement. “It’s important to emphasize that, even though this sounds a bit like astrology, it is not: it’s seasonal biology!” Winter Doesn’t Bum Them Out People with June birthdays are less likely to experience Seasonal Affective Disorder compared to those born in the winter, research reveals. Like spring babies, summer babies are prone to optimism, or hyperthymic personalities, but they are also more susceptible to cyclothymia, or rapidly shifting moods. But in a good way—people born in June are at generally low risk for mental illnesses like depression and schizophrenia. So they have mood swings, sure, but they’ve got them totally under control. They’re More Likely to Win Nobel Prizes Although the findings were not published in a scientific journal, preliminary data suggests a spike in Nobel Laureates with June birthdays. It’s not totally clear why people born in June receive this honor more often, but their pleasant natures, long lives, and resistance to disease can’t hurt. But listen, June babies, don’t be bummed if you still haven’t snagged a Nobel. There’s always next birthday
