Major new study shows surprising results on sibling birth order

Stereotypes based on the birth order of siblings are constantly doing the rounds – the firstborn is bossy, the middle child is diplomatic and the youngest is spoiled and rebellious.  

However, a new study now appears to finally put these stereotypes to rest, as psychologists from the universities of Mainz and Leipzig conclude that central personality traits are in fact not affected by birth order.

Professor Stefan Schmukle and Professor Boris Egloff analyzed the data of more than 20,000 adults from Germany, the USA, and Great Britain

“We found no substantial effects of birth order on any of the personality dimensions we examined," says Schmukle. "This does not only contradict prominent psychological theories, but also goes against the intuition of many people.”

It is only regarding self-reported intellect that small effects were found – according to the study firstborns’ intelligence was recorded as higher than that of their siblings.

Saying that, perhaps smug firstborns shouldn’t get too excited by the findings just yet. “This effect on intelligence replicates very well in large samples,” explains Schmukle, “but it is barely meaningful on the individual level, because it is extremely small. And even though mean scores on intelligence decline, in four out of ten cases the later-born is still smarter than his or her older sibling.”

So what do you think? Is the quite literally ‘age old’ question put to bed? Or are you still unconvinced?