A study by researchers at the University of Leipzig has shown that the first born sibling in a family is likely to be the most intelligent. The study, which is bound to deepen sibling rivalries around the world, took data from over 20 000 adults in Germany, the United States and United Kingdom and has confirmed the long held belief of first borns everywhere.
Feel inferior to your older brother or sister? Well science can prove why that is, with the University of Leipzig confirming first born siblings are smarter.
While the study found that personality traits such as extraversion, emotional stability and imagination are not affected by birth order, it was deduced that first born children are more likely to have a broader vocabulary than their younger brothers and sisters. The study states that elder siblings even perceive themselves as being more intelligent (of course they do). Previous research has suggested that this may be due to the social rank they have in the family.
Conventional wisdom says that parents are likely to fuss over their first born far more than their younger siblings. This makes sense as the first child is essentially a test subject for parents dealing with everything from toddlers throwing tantrums to teenage mood swings for the first time. Perhaps this converts into more discipline with studies and higher levels of intelligence for the first born child. Similarly this argument would explain why youngins are thought to be more rebellious. By the time it comes to enforcing strict rules and study timetables on say, a third born child, parents simply can’t be bothered anymore.
Despite the results being marginal, with 4 out of 10 younger children found to be more intelligent than their older siblings, there is growing outrage amongst the worldwide community of younger siblings who have been quick to point out the possibility of foul play. The findings have brought memories of elder siblings cheating in monopoly and backyard cricket flooding back and one can’t help but think that the researchers themselves may be older siblings. Such bias would be typical of the first born community.
Perhaps younger siblings can find solace in the cliché of being rebellious types. When arguing their case, first born siblings are quick to point out that Galileo Galilei, Sir Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein were all the eldest siblings. However younger siblings can be confident of a strong rebuttal, with ‘rebels’ such as Mahatma Gandhi (3 older siblings), Martin Luther King Jr. (1 older sibling) and the Dalai Lama (4 older siblings) all sitting on their side.
Good luck at the dinner table tonight fellow younger siblings.
Originally seen on BBC News.
