Live
- Sudanese army recaptures capital of Sinnar State in central Sudan
- Kishkindha Kaandam Review: Some movies prove not to compromise in having a good cinematic experience and this is one of them
- Son-rise: Hemant Soren grows taller as tribal leader, makes father proud
- ISL 2024-25: 10-man NorthEast United FC hold on to take three points vs Punjab FC
- BGT 2024-25: Jaiswal’s application, commitment to form a partnership was so impressive, says Gilchrist
- BGT 2024-25: Personally, I am very happy with my performance, says Harshit Rana
- Pakistan's Lahore remains world's most polluted city despite light drizzle
- Asha Nautiyal retains Kedarnath for BJP, to be back as MLA after 12 years
- India leads world in science, innovation research: Minister
- Flash flood in Indonesia's South Tapanuli claims two lives
Your birth order doesn't influence your personality in any way
Highlights
The idea that birth order determines siblings\' personality and intelligence has been debunked by a team of researchers.
The idea that birth order determines siblings' personality and intelligence has been debunked by a team of researchers.
Psychologists from Leipzig and Mainz analyzed central personality traits of over 20,000 grown-ups from Germany, the USA and Great Britain and found that who we become, only marginally correlates with our birth position amongst siblings.
The question of whether a person's position among siblings has a lasting impact on personality has occupied scientist for more than 100 years. Laypeople as well a scientist share a number of beliefs: Firstborns are supposedly perfectionists, for example, while middle children develop a talent for diplomacy and last-borns are expected to be rebellious.
Researchers found that central personality traits such as extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, and conscientiousness are not affected by birth-order position. Only regarding self-reported intellect small effects were found: Firstborns were more likely to report a rich vocabulary and less difficulty understanding abstract ideas.
Researcher Stefan Schmukle said that they found no substantial effects of birth order on any of the personality dimensions we examined. "This does not only contradict prominent psychological theories, but also goes against the intuition of many people."
The study appears in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Next Story
ADVERTISEMENT
