TED2017
Helen Pearson: Lessons from the longest study on human development
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For the past 70 years, scientists in Britain have been studying thousands of children through their lives to find out why some end up happy and healthy while others struggle. It's the longest-running study of human development in the world, and it's produced some of the best-studied people on the planet while changing the way we live, learn and parent. Reviewing this remarkable research, science journalist Helen Pearson shares some important findings and simple truths about life and good parenting.
Helen Pearson - Science journalist, editor, author
Helen Pearson's book, "The Life Project," tells the extraordinary story of the longest-running study of human development in the world. Full bio
Helen Pearson's book, "The Life Project," tells the extraordinary story of the longest-running study of human development in the world. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:13
Today I want to confess something to you,
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but first of all I'm going to ask you
a couple of questions.
a couple of questions.
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How many people here have children?
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And how many of you are confident
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that you know how
to bring up your children
to bring up your children
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in exactly the right way?
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(Laughter)
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OK, I don't see too many hands
going up on that second one,
going up on that second one,
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and that's my confession, too.
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I've got three boys;
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they're three, nine and 12.
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And like you, and like most parents,
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the honest truth is I have
pretty much no idea what I'm doing.
pretty much no idea what I'm doing.
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I want them to be
happy and healthy in their lives,
happy and healthy in their lives,
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but I don't know what I'm supposed to do
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to make sure they are happy and healthy.
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There's so many books
offering all kinds of conflicting advice,
offering all kinds of conflicting advice,
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it can be really overwhelming.
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So I've spent most of their lives
just making it up as I go along.
just making it up as I go along.
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01:01
However, something changed me
a few years ago,
a few years ago,
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when I came across a little secret
that we have in Britain.
that we have in Britain.
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It's helped me become more confident
about how I bring up my own children,
about how I bring up my own children,
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and it's revealed a lot about
how we as a society can help all children.
how we as a society can help all children.
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I want to share that secret
with you today.
with you today.
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For the last 70 years,
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scientists in Britain have been following
thousands of children through their lives
thousands of children through their lives
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as part of an incredible scientific study.
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There's nothing quite like it
anywhere else in the world.
anywhere else in the world.
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Collecting information
on thousands of children
on thousands of children
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is a really powerful thing to do,
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because it means we can compare
the ones who say,
the ones who say,
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do well at school or end up healthy
or happy or wealthy as adults,
or happy or wealthy as adults,
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and the ones who struggle much more,
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and then we can sift through
all the information we've collected
all the information we've collected
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and try to work out why
their lives turned out different.
their lives turned out different.
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This British study --
it's actually a kind of crazy story.
it's actually a kind of crazy story.
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So it all starts back in 1946,
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just a few months
after the end of the war,
after the end of the war,
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when scientists wanted to know
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what it was like for a woman
to have a baby at the time.
to have a baby at the time.
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They carried out
this huge survey of mothers
this huge survey of mothers
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and ended up recording the birth
of nearly every baby
of nearly every baby
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born in England, Scotland
and Wales in one week.
and Wales in one week.
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That was nearly 14,000 babies.
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The questions they asked these women
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are very different than the ones
we might ask today.
we might ask today.
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They sound really old-fashioned now.
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They asked them things like,
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"During pregnancy,
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did you get your full extra ration
of a pint of milk a day?"
of a pint of milk a day?"
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"How much did you spend
on smocks, corsets,
on smocks, corsets,
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nightdresses, knickers and brassieres?"
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And this is my favorite one:
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"Who looked after your husband
while you were in bed with this baby?"
while you were in bed with this baby?"
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(Laughter)
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Now, this wartime study
actually ended up being so successful
actually ended up being so successful
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that scientists did it again.
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They recorded the births
of thousands of babies born in 1958
of thousands of babies born in 1958
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and thousands more in 1970.
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They did it again in the early 1990s,
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and again at the turn of the millennium.
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Altogether, more than 70,000 children
have been involved in these studies
have been involved in these studies
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across those five generations.
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They're called the British birth cohorts,
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and scientists have gone back
and recorded more information
and recorded more information
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on all of these people
every few years ever since.
every few years ever since.
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The amount of information
that's now been collected on these people
that's now been collected on these people
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is just completely mind-boggling.
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It includes thousands
of paper questionnaires
of paper questionnaires
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and terabytes' worth of computer data.
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Scientists have also built up
a huge bank of tissue samples,
a huge bank of tissue samples,
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which includes locks of hair,
nail clippings, baby teeth and DNA.
nail clippings, baby teeth and DNA.
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They've even collected 9,000 placentas
from some of the births,
from some of the births,
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which are now pickled in plastic buckets
in a secure storage warehouse.
in a secure storage warehouse.
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This whole project has become unique --
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so, no other country in the world
is tracking generations of children
is tracking generations of children
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in quite this detail.
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These are some of the best-studied
people on the planet,
people on the planet,
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and the data has become
incredibly valuable for scientists,
incredibly valuable for scientists,
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generating well over 6,000
academic papers and books.
academic papers and books.
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03:56
But today I want to focus
on just one finding --
on just one finding --
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perhaps the most important discovery
to come from this remarkable study.
to come from this remarkable study.
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And it's also the one
that spoke to me personally,
that spoke to me personally,
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because it's about how to use science
to do the best for our children.
to do the best for our children.
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So, let's get the bad news
out of the way first.
out of the way first.
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Perhaps the biggest message
from this remarkable study is this:
from this remarkable study is this:
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don't be born into poverty
or into disadvantage,
or into disadvantage,
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because if you are,
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you're far more likely
to walk a difficult path in life.
to walk a difficult path in life.
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Many children in this study
were born into poor families
were born into poor families
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or into working-class families that had
cramped homes or other problems,
cramped homes or other problems,
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and it's clear now
that those disadvantaged children
that those disadvantaged children
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have been more likely to struggle
on almost every score.
on almost every score.
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They've been more likely
to do worse at school,
to do worse at school,
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to end up with worse jobs
and to earn less money.
and to earn less money.
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Now, maybe that sounds really obvious,
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but some of the results
have been really surprising,
have been really surprising,
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so children who had a tough start in life
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are also more likely to end up
unhealthy as adults.
unhealthy as adults.
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They're more likely to be overweight,
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to have high blood pressure,
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and then decades down the line,
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more likely to have a failing memory,
poor health and even to die earlier.
poor health and even to die earlier.
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Now, I talked about what happens later,
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but some of these differences emerge
at a really shockingly early age.
at a really shockingly early age.
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In one study,
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children who were growing up in poverty
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were almost a year behind
the richer children on educational tests,
the richer children on educational tests,
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and that was by the age of just three.
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These types of differences have been found
again and again across the generations.
again and again across the generations.
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It means that our early circumstances
have a profound influence
have a profound influence
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on the way that the rest
of our lives play out.
of our lives play out.
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And working out why that is
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is one of the most difficult questions
that we face today.
that we face today.
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So there we have it.
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The first lesson for successful life,
everyone, is this:
everyone, is this:
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choose your parents very carefully.
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(Laughter)
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Don't be born into a poor family
or into a struggling family.
or into a struggling family.
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Now, I'm sure you can see
the small problem here.
the small problem here.
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We can't choose our parents
or how much they earn,
or how much they earn,
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but this British study has also struck
a real note of optimism
a real note of optimism
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by showing that not everyone
who has a disadvantaged start
who has a disadvantaged start
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ends up in difficult circumstances.
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As you know, many people
have a tough start in life,
have a tough start in life,
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but they end up doing very well
on some measure nevertheless,
on some measure nevertheless,
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and this study starts to explain how.
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So the second lesson is this:
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parents really matter.
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In this study,
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children who had engaged,
interested parents,
interested parents,
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ones who had ambition for their future,
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were more likely to escape
from a difficult start.
from a difficult start.
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It seems that parents and what they do
are really, really important,
are really, really important,
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especially in the first few years of life.
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Let me give you an example of that.
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In one study,
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scientists looked at about 17,000 children
who were born in 1970.
who were born in 1970.
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They sifted all the mountains of data
that they had collected
that they had collected
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to try to work out
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what allowed the children
who'd had a difficult start in life
who'd had a difficult start in life
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to go on and do well
at school nevertheless.
at school nevertheless.
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In other words, which ones beat the odds.
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The data showed that what mattered
more than anything else was parents.
more than anything else was parents.
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Having engaged, interested parents
in those first few years of life
in those first few years of life
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was strongly linked to children going on
to do well at school later on.
to do well at school later on.
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In fact, quite small things
that parents do
that parents do
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are associated with good
outcomes for children.
outcomes for children.
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Talking and listening to a child,
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responding to them warmly,
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teaching them their letters and numbers,
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taking them on trips and visits.
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Reading to children every day
seems to be really important, too.
seems to be really important, too.
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So in one study,
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children whose parents were reading
to them daily when they were five
to them daily when they were five
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and then showing an interest
in their education at the age of 10,
in their education at the age of 10,
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were significantly less likely
to be in poverty at the age of 30
to be in poverty at the age of 30
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than those whose parents
weren't doing those things.
weren't doing those things.
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Now, there are huge challenges
with interpreting this type of science.
with interpreting this type of science.
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These studies show
that certain things that parents do
that certain things that parents do
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are correlated with good
outcomes for children,
outcomes for children,
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but we don't necessarily know
those behaviors caused the good outcomes,
those behaviors caused the good outcomes,
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or whether some other factor
is getting in the way.
is getting in the way.
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For example, we have to take
genes into account,
genes into account,
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and that's a whole other talk in itself.
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But scientists working
with this British study
with this British study
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are working really hard to get at causes,
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and this is one study I particularly love.
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In this one,
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they looked at the bedtime routines
of about 10,000 children
of about 10,000 children
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born at the turn of the millennium.
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Were the children going to bed
at regular times,
at regular times,
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or did they go to bed
at different times during the week?
at different times during the week?
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The data showed that those children
who were going to bed at different times
who were going to bed at different times
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were more likely
to have behavioral problems,
to have behavioral problems,
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and then those that switched
to having regular bedtimes
to having regular bedtimes
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often showed an improvement in behavior,
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and that was really crucial,
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because it suggested
it was the bedtime routines
it was the bedtime routines
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that were really helping things
get better for those kids.
get better for those kids.
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Here's another one to think about.
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In this one,
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scientists looked at children
who were reading for pleasure.
who were reading for pleasure.
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That means that they picked up
a magazine, a picture book, a story book.
a magazine, a picture book, a story book.
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The data showed that children
who were reading for pleasure
who were reading for pleasure
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at the ages of five and 10
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were more likely to go on in school
better, on average,
better, on average,
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on school tests later in their lives.
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And not just tests of reading,
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but tests of spelling and maths as well.
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This study tried to control
for all the confounding factors,
for all the confounding factors,
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so it looked at children
who were equally intelligent
who were equally intelligent
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and from the same social-class background,
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so it seemed as if it was the reading
which really helped those children
which really helped those children
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go on and score better on those
school tests later in their lives.
school tests later in their lives.
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Now at the start,
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I said the first lesson from this study
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was not to be born into poverty
or into disadvantage,
or into disadvantage,
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because those children tend to follow
more difficult paths in their lives.
more difficult paths in their lives.
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But then I said that parenting matters,
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and that good parenting,
if you can call it that,
if you can call it that,
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helps children beat the odds
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and overcome some
of those early disadvantages.
of those early disadvantages.
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So wait,
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does that actually mean, then,
that poverty doesn't matter after all?
that poverty doesn't matter after all?
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You could argue it doesn't matter
if a child is born poor --
if a child is born poor --
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as long as their parents are good parents,
they're going to do just fine.
they're going to do just fine.
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I don't believe that's true.
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This study shows that poverty
and parenting matter.
and parenting matter.
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And one study actually
put figures on that,
put figures on that,
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so it looked at children
growing up in persistent poverty
growing up in persistent poverty
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and how well they were doing at school.
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The data showed
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that even when their parents
were doing everything right --
were doing everything right --
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putting them to bed on time
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and reading to them every day
and everything else --
and everything else --
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that only got those children so far.
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Good parenting only reduced
the educational gap
the educational gap
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between the rich and poor children
by about 50 percent.
by about 50 percent.
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Now that means that poverty
leaves a really lasting scar,
leaves a really lasting scar,
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and it means that if we really want
to ensure the success and well-being
to ensure the success and well-being
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of the next generation,
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then tackling child poverty
is an incredibly important thing to do.
is an incredibly important thing to do.
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Now, what does all this mean
for you and me?
for you and me?
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Are there lessons here
we can all take home and use?
we can all take home and use?
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As a scientist and a journalist,
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I like to have some science
to inform my parenting ...
to inform my parenting ...
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and I can tell you that when
you're shouting at your kids
you're shouting at your kids
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to go to bed on time,
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it really helps to have
the scientific literature on your side.
the scientific literature on your side.
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(Laughter)
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And wouldn't it be great to think
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that all we had to do to have
happy, successful children
happy, successful children
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was to talk to them,
be interested in their future,
be interested in their future,
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put them to bed on time,
and give them a book to read?
and give them a book to read?
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Our job would be done.
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Now, as you can imagine,
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the answers aren't quite
as simple as that.
as simple as that.
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For one thing, this study
looks at what happens
looks at what happens
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to thousands and thousands
of children on average,
of children on average,
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but that doesn't necessarily say
what will help my child or your child
what will help my child or your child
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or any individual child.
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In the end, each of our children
is going to walk their own path,
is going to walk their own path,
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and that's partly defined
by the genes they inherit
by the genes they inherit
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and of course all the experiences
they have through their lives,
they have through their lives,
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including their interactions
with us, their parents.
with us, their parents.
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I will tell you what I did
after I learned all this.
after I learned all this.
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It's a bit embarrassing.
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I realized I was so busy working,
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and ironically,
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learning and writing about this incredible
study of British children,
study of British children,
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that there were days when I hardly
even spoke to my own British children.
even spoke to my own British children.
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So at home, we introduced talking time,
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which is just 15 minutes
at the end of the day
at the end of the day
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when we talk and listen to the boys.
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I try better now to ask them
what they did today,
what they did today,
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and to show that I value
what they do at school.
what they do at school.
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Of course, I make sure
they always have a book to read.
they always have a book to read.
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I tell them I'm ambitious
for their future,
for their future,
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and I think they can be happy
and do great things.
and do great things.
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I don't know that any of that
will make a difference,
will make a difference,
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but I'm pretty confident
it won't do them any harm,
it won't do them any harm,
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and it might even do them some good.
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Ultimately, if we want happy children,
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all we can do is listen to the science,
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and of course,
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listen to our children themselves.
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Thank you.
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Helen Pearson - Science journalist, editor, authorHelen Pearson's book, "The Life Project," tells the extraordinary story of the longest-running study of human development in the world.
Why you should listen
In March 1946, scientists began tracking almost every British baby born in a single week. What they discovered would change how we are born, grow up, raise children, live and die. Helen Pearson's 2016 book, The Life Project, is the story of this incredible project and the remarkable discoveries that have come from it. It was named best science book of the year by The Observer and was a book of the year for The Economist.
As Chief Magazine Editor for the world’s leading science journal, Nature, Pearson oversees all its journalism and opinion content. Her own stories have won accolades including the 2010 Wistar Institute Science Journalism Award and two best feature awards from the Association of British Science Writers.
Helen Pearson | Speaker | TED.com