For Immediate Release:

Tuesday, April 16, 2024

lt;divgt;lt;img src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1200/1*KR5cJ3X-40uko8vX5VB6yQ.jpeg" class="ff-og-image-inserted"gt;lt;/divgt;lt;div class="l"gt;lt;div class="l"gt;lt;span class="l"gt;lt;/spangt;lt;sectiongt;lt;divgt;lt;div class="fr gi gj gk gl gm"gt;lt;/divgt;lt;divgt;lt;/divgt;lt;div class="gx gy gz ha hb"gt;lt;div class="ab ca"gt;lt;div class="ch bg fz ga gb gc"gt;lt;divgt;lt;div class="ib ic id ie if"gt;lt;/divgt;lt;/divgt;lt;p id="061d" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;Researchers have tossed around birth order and personality, and the results are in, and they may be comforting.lt;/pgt;lt;figure class="nq nr ns nt nu nv nn no paragraph-image"gt;lt;div role="button" tabindex="0" class="nw nx fi ny bg nz"gt;lt;div class="nn no np"gt;lt;picturegt;lt;source "https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:640/format:webp/1*KR5cJ3X-40uko8vX5VB6yQ.jpeg 640w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:720/format:webp/1*KR5cJ3X-40uko8vX5VB6yQ.jpeg 720w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:750/format:webp/1*KR5cJ3X-40uko8vX5VB6yQ.jpeg 750w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:786/format:webp/1*KR5cJ3X-40uko8vX5VB6yQ.jpeg 786w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:828/format:webp/1*KR5cJ3X-40uko8vX5VB6yQ.jpeg 828w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1100/format:webp/1*KR5cJ3X-40uko8vX5VB6yQ.jpeg 1100w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/format:webp/1*KR5cJ3X-40uko8vX5VB6yQ.jpeg 1400w" sizes="(min-resolution: 4dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 4) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (min-resolution: 3dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 67vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3) and (max-width: 700px) 65vw, (min-resolution: 2.5dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2.5) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (min-resolution: 2dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" type="image/webp"gt;lt;source data-testid="og" "https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:640/1*KR5cJ3X-40uko8vX5VB6yQ.jpeg 640w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:720/1*KR5cJ3X-40uko8vX5VB6yQ.jpeg 720w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:750/1*KR5cJ3X-40uko8vX5VB6yQ.jpeg 750w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:786/1*KR5cJ3X-40uko8vX5VB6yQ.jpeg 786w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:828/1*KR5cJ3X-40uko8vX5VB6yQ.jpeg 828w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1100/1*KR5cJ3X-40uko8vX5VB6yQ.jpeg 1100w, https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:1400/1*KR5cJ3X-40uko8vX5VB6yQ.jpeg 1400w" sizes="(min-resolution: 4dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 4) and (max-width: 700px) 50vw, (min-resolution: 3dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 67vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 3) and (max-width: 700px) 65vw, (min-resolution: 2.5dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2.5) and (max-width: 700px) 80vw, (min-resolution: 2dppx) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, (-webkit-min-device-pixel-ratio: 2) and (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px"gt;lt;/picturegt;lt;/divgt;lt;/divgt;lt;figcaption class="ob fe gt nn no oc od be b bf z dt"gt;Photo by lt;a class="af oe" href="https://unsplash.com/@xdouglasantos?utm_content=creditCopyTextamp;amp;utm_medium=referralamp;amp;utm_source=unsplash" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;Douglas J S Moreiralt;/agt; on lt;a class="af oe" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/toddler-looking-up-while-holding-candycane-in-party-UFdLg0BX5aM?utm_content=creditCopyTextamp;amp;utm_medium=referralamp;amp;utm_source=unsplash" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;Unsplashlt;/agt;lt;/figcaptiongt;lt;/figuregt;lt;p id="3945" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;If you have siblings, where in the line do you fall? Too often, beliefs seemingly backed up by scientific research support the status of one child over another because of their positioning in their births.lt;/pgt;lt;p id="59b2" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;How many times have we heard that the firstborn is the "golden child" to whom everything is directed and who carries the family's hopes? Some people may perceive the first child as more talented, more mature, and even favored. Research suggests that lt;em class="of"gt;the second child may have a slight advantagelt;/emgt; over the first because of the knowledge gained from raising the first child. Where did all this come from and what is the research?lt;/pgt;lt;p id="805d" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;Does where someone stands among their siblings have an effect on their life that lasts? Scientists and regular people alike have been interested in this question for over 100 years. lt;a class="af oe" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Galton" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;Francis Galtonlt;/agt;, who was Charles Darwin's half-cousin and the youngest of nine children, observed in 1874 that there was an lt;em class="of"gt;excessive number of firstborn children in a group of English experts.lt;/emgt;lt;/pgt;lt;p id="a4fa" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;Galton thought parents might lt;em class="of"gt;give their oldest kids extra attentionlt;/emgt;, which helped them do well in school. After fifty years, lt;a class="af oe" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Adler" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;Alfred Adlerlt;/agt;, the second of six children, added lt;a class="af oe" href="https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/science.182.4117.1096" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;psychological traits to the study of birth ordlt;/agt;er in psychology. Adler believed that firstborn children lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;thought they were luckylt;/stronggt;, but they also had more responsibility and feared losing their position, which made them anxious. He thought later-born children whose parents spoil them too much lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;would lack social empathylt;/stronggt;.lt;/pgt;lt;p id="3499" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;In some cultures, birth order is a distinct characteristic that no one can escape. lt;em class="of"gt;Balinese names immediately show what order a person was born in: first-born is called lt;/emgt;lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;lt;em class="of"gt;Wayanlt;/emgt;lt;/stronggt;lt;em class="of"gt;, second-born is called lt;/emgt;lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;lt;em class="of"gt;Madelt;/emgt;lt;/stronggt;lt;em class="of"gt;, and so on.lt;/emgt; Because family ranks are so important in everyday life, birth order effects might be especially strong in Bali.lt;/pgt;lt;p id="7bfc" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;But researchers have predominantly conducted studies on birth order and outcomes like intelligence, educational attainment, and personality in "WEIRD" populations, which comprise people from lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic Western countrieslt;/stronggt;. lt;a class="af oe" href="https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.1721165115" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;Researchers need to shift their attentionlt;/agt; lt;em class="of"gt;from these samples to more diverse communitieslt;/emgt; in order to better understand what makes people human and what makes them different.lt;/pgt;lt;figure class="nq nr ns nt nu nv"gt;lt;div class="og oh l fi"gt;lt;div class="oi oj l"gt;lt;/divgt;lt;/divgt;lt;/figuregt;lt;p id="8d3c" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;Some studies have shown that mothers are lt;em class="of"gt;less likely to give as much attention to later-born childrenlt;/emgt; and are lt;em class="of"gt;less likely to have breastfed themlt;/emgt;. Several factors during these early years and birth order and physical fitness have interested researchers. Knowing how lt;a class="af oe" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953614007308" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;birth order might affect fitnesslt;/agt; is important for two reasons: first, it can help us understand how birth order lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;affects later life outcomeslt;/stronggt;; second, it can help us figure out when the lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;potentially adverse effectslt;/stronggt; of having a high birth order show up.lt;/pgt;lt;p id="069d" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;lt;a class="af oe" href="https://www.brookings.edu/articles/born-to-lead-the-effect-of-birth-order-on-non-cognitive-abilities/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;Some research has proposed a number of interestinglt;/agt; and potentially contradictory findings. lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;Menlt;/stronggt; born earlier tend to have higher emotional stability, persistence, social skills, responsibility, and leadership qualities compared to those born later. The researchers also discovered that the order of birth lt;em class="of"gt;affects job sortinglt;/emgt;. For example, kids born first are more likely to be managers, while kids born lt;em class="of"gt;later are more likely to be self-employedlt;/emgt;.lt;/pgt;lt;p id="0f1c" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;This research suggests that children born earlier are more prone to pursuing jobs that demand lt;em class="of"gt;leadership, social skills, and specific psychological traits.lt;/emgt; Finally, it suggests that the lt;a class="af oe" href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w10281" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;lt;em class="of"gt;mix of male and female memberslt;/emgt;lt;/agt;lt;em class="of"gt; in the family may lt;/emgt;play an important part, primarily in how many children are born into the family.lt;/pgt;lt;p id="7b3c" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;The researchers also propose that the order of birth affects job sorting. Kids born earlier are likelier to work in jobs requiring leadership, social skills, and the lt;a class="af oe" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Five_personality_traits" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;Big Five psychological traits.lt;/agt; They are:lt;/pgt;lt;p id="7193" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;openness to new experienceslt;/stronggt; (creative and curious vs. cautious and constant)lt;brgt;lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;carefulnesslt;/stronggt; (being planned and efficient vs. careless)lt;brgt;lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;extraversionlt;/stronggt; (being friendly and active vs. shy and quiet)lt;brgt;lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;agreeablenesslt;/stronggt; (being kind and caring vs. critical and judging)lt;brgt;lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;neuroticismlt;/stronggt; (being sensitive vs. strong or sure of yourself)lt;/pgt;lt;p id="59b1" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;What about the personality-related risk-taking trait researchers have attributed to later-born children? The lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;competitive nature of the familylt;/stronggt; system may play a part in the effects of birth order oflt;a class="af oe" href="https://nyaspubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nyas.15085#:~:text=These results indicate that birth,be contingent on the environment." rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt; risk-taking propensitylt;/agt;. Still, these effects lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;do not forever change a child's risk-taking preferences.lt;/stronggt; Instead, this tendency seems to change depending on where they are.lt;/pgt;lt;p id="f3e9" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;Research on the birth order effect has differing results in studies that are normally small in participant numbers, and there isn't strong proof that birth order affects intelligence and personality traits. lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;One salient finding fromlt;/stronggt; research was that lt;strong class="mr hf"gt;first-born childrenlt;/stronggt; may benefit intellectually from the lt;a class="af oe" href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0092656615000525?via=ihub=" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"gt;amount of verbal interactionlt;/agt; they have with their parents.lt;/pgt;lt;p id="891f" class="pw-post-body-paragraph mp mq he mr b ms mt mu mv mw mx my mz na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nj nk nl nm gx bj"gt;The good news is that your birth order in your family of origin does not lock you into a specific personality type.lt;/pgt;lt;/divgt;lt;/divgt;lt;/divgt;lt;/divgt;lt;/sectiongt;lt;/divgt;lt;/divgt;