Correlations Between Avocations, Scientific Style, Work Habits, and Professional Impact of Scientists

Forty male scientists (including 4 who eventually won Nobel prizes) were interviewed four times between 1958 and 1978 concerning their work habits, use of time, hobbies, attitudes, and related issues. The 38 who were still alive in 1988 then filled out a questionnaire concerning their various forms of thinking (e.g., verbal, visual, kinesthetic), their avocations, forms and extent of physical exercise, and when they were most likely to have significant scientific insights (e.g., while working on a problem directly, while working on other problems, while relaxing, on walking). The questionnaire and interview information was then collated and statistically analyzed with regard to the impact of each scientist to determine if any correlations exist between scientific success and avocations, preferred modes of thinking, use of time, energy, or related factors. Significant correlations were found between scientific success and particular modes of thinking (especially visual ones), between success and various ho...

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