7 Completely Uncontrollable Things That Will Apparently Make You Successful

    Want to be successful? You'll have to transform yourself into a very tall, blonde, first-born child named Deborah.

    Hillary Reinsberg
    by Hillary Reinsberg

    BuzzFeed Staff

    1. Being tall.

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    It's long been known that we live in a height-ist society. Research from 2009 found that for every two inches taller you were, you'd earn an average of $1000 more per year.

    2. Being blonde.

    Mario Anzuoni / Reuters

    In a 2010 Australian study, researchers found that blonde women, on average, make seven percent more than their non-blonde counterparts.

    Oddly, the study also found that blonde women on average married wealthier men. The president of the International Blondes Association (a thing that actually exists) explained this by saying, "Blondes have wealthier husbands because we are more fun and outgoing, and men are more attracted to us."

    So make of that what you will.

    3. Being a psychopath.

    a57.foxnews.com

    CEOs are four times more likely to be psychopaths, journalist Jon Ronson found in his book The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry. In the regular population, only about one percent of people are considered psychopaths. Among CEOs, that number is about four percent.

    4. Having thick eyebrows.

    Joe Scarnici / Getty Images

    A 2010 Duke study called "A Corporate Beauty Contest," compared facial traits of CEOs with those of lower level executives. The highest ranking CEOs, they found, were likely to have thick, bushy eyebrows.

    5. Being named Peter or Deborah.

    Or Bob or Cynthia. According to LinkedIn data, Deborah, Sally, and Cynthia are the most popular names among female CEOs. Among men, it's Bob, Peter, and Jack.

    6. Being a first born child.

    Pool / Reuters

    First children are most likely to have successful careers, according to Norwegian researchers. As an explanation, they say first-borns are likely to have slightly higher IQs, and are likely to be more competitive.

    7. Being born in June.

    content.mycutegraphics.com

    A survey by England's Office for National Statistics found that the highest number of executives — plus 23% of the last 22 Nobel peace prize winners — were born in the month of June.