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As if hand-me-downs and the fact that only three baby pictures of us exist, there's more bad news for younger siblings: A new study suggests that firstborns may have gotten favored status in the brains department as well.Tiffany L. Frank, a doctoral candidate at Adelphi University, recently led a study that suggested birth order makes a difference when it comes to brains and personality. Eldest siblings have higher aptitude and overall ranked intelligence, potentially because they received more attention from their parents, earlier. (WE KNEW IT, MOM AND DAD.)
But there's an upside for younger siblings -- the research found that they're generally more outgoing and competitive, with higher overall GPAs. The reason? In theory, having received assistance from older siblings and a need to compete for parents' love and attention.
Does this mean our parents have been lying to us every day when they say they love us all "equally"? Do we need to strike our older brothers down in Scrabble to make Dad prouder?
Sigh. Probably. (Dysfunction is 23 points.)
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Monday 23 August
By Barby
I was the third child of seven and felt that once I was at school Mum didn't see me as needing attention. I felt abandond and that I didn't exist, therefor I was left with many complexed troubles including, low self asteem, shyness and very very withdrawn into myself as time went on.
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Wednesday 18 August
By Mommakim
HAH! My eldest sent this to me this morning,"Now I have proof" says he. Well, to be honest, he may have the highest IQ, (since they stopped testing for this long before mine all got to school, who really knows) but he's definitely got the attitude!!
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Wednesday 18 August
By lori
My oldest sister is not the smartest nor the most responsible. We have 9 children in our family and when you measure who is the smartest you would over look the the first 4 and then it would be the fifth and sixth who stand out. We are the only 2 who actually have a stable life and who have completed any type of schooling. This study must have had a very small study group.
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Wednesday 18 August
By Nisey
Why study something that makes no difference. Now, should we study what we just did to the self esteem of the other kids that were not the oldest siblings? How bad did we make them feel before we came up with this crazy finding. Lets spend time and money on more pressing research - Cancer, AIDS, Autism... you get the point. Stop micro analyzing things that don't make a difference.
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Wednesday 18 August
By lauraluv896
I am the youngest from a large tribe of hateful self centered older sisters.
They did everything they could to demoralize me..You could not trust them
at all. They destroyed my life.... I won't elaborate, but it would put Dear
Charlotte to shame..!!
Thank God they are dead and gone.. No more sorrow.!!
Hey, Mothers, teach your children to love and respect their siblings while
they are young..It's too late when they are used to torturing the weakest.
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Thursday 19 August
By nodevout
hell yeah our parents are lying. my big sis has done a million stupid things, the very things that i KNOW my mom wouldn't forgive me for. and that the oldest is the smartest is a bunch of bs. maybe the most ambitious, most confident, and definetly the most annoying, yes, but smartest no. "First is the worst, second is the best, Thrid is the one was the hairy chest" LOL
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Friday 20 August
By xxswirlypops
How funny, this whole article is true to a tee on every part. It's weird!
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Friday 03 September
By Charmaine
.....yeah not believing it. Maybe that was true 20 or 30 years ago before the internet became a staple in American society.....but not so much now lol
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