>How many of those rated "highly intelligent" (I would be fascinated on how they measured that!) were in an elevated economic group and so now we're reduced to tautology

>They found that who marshmallow experiment was literally kids who have their needs met aren't rushing to consume what's in front of them and that patience pays off.

Yes, this is what they are saying. There are traits that rich people have that seriously help them maintain and acquire wealth.

I'm saying the only traits that rich people have "that seriously help them maintain and acquire wealth" is that they almost exclusively tend to be born to rich people. That's it. That's the trait.

I agree genetics could play a small role, but I think developmental environment is a much larger part of the picture

I'm literally saying the opposite. Rich people nurture and help their children with connections, etc.

>I'm saying the only traits that rich people have "that seriously help them maintain and acquire wealth" is that they almost exclusively tend to be born to rich people. That's it. That's the trait.

This is saying that self control and delayed gratification isn't a trait. It's saying that financial literacy isn't a trait.

At best it's a gross oversimplification that ignores the fact that a huge number of poor people have acquired these traits

And I didn't mean "genetic trait" but rather "behavioral trait." Of course it's available to everyone just more likely to be found where it's been nurtured. There are dandelions growing in the cracks of a sidewalk; it's possible, just harder.

I think another aspect that a lot of discussions miss is a feeling of hope. Rich kids tend to have hope. Very poor kids can feel stuck and hopeless. When you have a child who, at a young age (think five or six, even) doesn't feel hope for their future, they don't try as hard and they're more likely to give up sooner.