Why your older sibling is smarter than you
In a new study from the univeristy of Leipzing,
researchers examined how neurotic, extraverted, conscientious, open and
agreeable 20,000 people were from the UK, US and Germany - and
concluded that personality is not affected by whether you were born
first, last or in between.
But science is increasingly showing
that your birth order can affect who you are in different ways - older
siblings are smarter on average, while the youngest are healthier and
more likely to be gay.
Older and smarter
In
the Leipzig study a small difference in intelligence was found -
firstborns tended to be slightly more intelligent than their younger
siblings, who are in turn slightly more intelligent than their younger
siblings.
The researchers also discovered there were differences
in how intelligent people thought they were, with first-born children
being more likely to agree with statements such as "I am quick to
understand things" than their younger siblings.
These people were
also more likely to say they found it easier to understand abstract
ideas and that they had a richer vocabulary than younger siblings.
Although it's not clear why this might be the case, previous research suggests
this might be due the eldest child's social status in the family rather
than a biological change that happens in the womb.
It is thought that a higher social rank could be responsible for the small increase seen in intelligence .
