Birth Order May Have Less to Do With Personality than You Think
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iStock/Thinkstock(CHAMPAIGN, Ill.) — We’ve all probably heard it before — the oldest child is bossy, the middle child has issues, and the youngest child in the family is spoiled, right? But if you really think you and your siblings are the way you are because of your birth order, you’re probably wrong.
A new study on the correlation between sibling birth order, personality and intelligence shows while differences may occur among siblings, the actual real-world impact may be insignificant.
This study, conducted by scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and said to be the largest one of its kind to date, challenges common notions that the firstborn is the most intelligent and responsible, the middle child is the peacekeeper, and the youngest is the most rebellious. While researchers did find differences in siblings that followed the typical trend, such as the firstborn having a higher IQ and distinct personality traits, those differences were very minor.
“This is a very small difference that would not be visible in any way with the ‘naked eye,’ and it’s unlikely to be meaningful for any real-world outcomes,” wrote Dr. Rodica Damian, a co-author of the study and psychology professor at the University of Houston, in an email to The Huffington Post.
Researchers believe this particular study produced such different results from conventional wisdom because the sample was much larger and didn’t rely on often biased parental testimonies. The differences parents see in their kids are believed to come more from how the parents raise each child — and the way they raise each kid is usually in keeping with how mom and dad feel their kids will behave due to their birth order. In other words, the kids behave that way because mom and dad raise their kids to be that way because they believe the kids are that way. Got it?
Also, says Damian, “Personality changes over time, especially with age, so parents should be mindful of their kids’ life stages and realize that whatever differences they see are likely due to age.”
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