The Economist wrote about how the Chinese zodiac calendar can affect life outcomes:

• Dragons are a respected symbol in China and those born in the year of the dragon are thought to have a bright future.
• Chinese births dramatically increased in 2000 and 2012 – the two most recent dragon years. This is particularly remarkable since China’s one child policy makes it difficult to time births.
• Dragon children get higher grades and are 11 percentage points more likely to go to university.
• This seems to be because parents invest more in dragon children by educating them, giving them more pocket money, and reducing their chores.
• This self-fulfilling prophecy effect demonstrates the power of expectations in driving success.

Read more on The Economist.