These Are 10 Ways Your Birth Order Affects Your Life

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These Are 10 Ways Your Birth Order Affects Your Life

It's so interesting to think about what people do and why they do it. One of the ways we try to understand ourselves better is by looking at how we behave compared to others in our family.

The effect of birth order on who a person becomes is an interesting question that psychologists have been asking for centuries.

Whether you're a first born or a twin, there seem to be some loose guidelines that can help us to understand our motivations, strengths and weaknesses as individuals. Take a look at the top 10 ways birth order affects your life - does any of it relate to you?

1. Firstborns are natural leaders and perfectionists.

Their ambitiousness and determination lead them to careers that require precision in fields like science, medicine, law, engineering, computer science and accounting. (Science Daily)

2. Secondborns and middle children are the most likely to become professional athletes.

Secondborns are fiercely competitive and that drive to out preform pushes them to be innovative thinkers. They are also good negotiators and compromisers. (Science Daily)

3. Lastborns are extremely self-confident and socially successful.

The "babies" of the family have strong social and coping skills. Since they want to keep up with their older siblings, they often reach some milestones earlier in life. They are very affectionate, creative, spontaneous and love to be the center of attention - but they can sometimes blame others for their mistakes.

4. Only children get the highest grades - but struggle socially at a young age.

A study published in the American Sociological Review discovered that the more siblings a child had, the less time parents spent talking to each child and the less they saved for college. In fact, the more siblings a person has, the lower their grades tended to be.

However, a study by Ohio State researchers found that kindergartners make more friends if they have siblings vs. children of the same age who do not.

5. The more siblings you have, the better chance your marriage will last.

With each additional sibling, your chance of divorcing decreases by up to 2 percent. According to Ohio State researchers, more siblings means more opportunities to learn negotiating skills and how to see things from another perspective.

6. Big age gaps between siblings make for more successful adults

Children with a greater age gap between siblings are more likely to achieve higher levels of education, according to the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex.

7. Firstborn girls are 13% more ambitious than firstborn boys.

Obviously firstborn girls are just the best at everything. But, according to the same University of Essex study, they are statistically more likely to succeed because that extra dose of ambition pushes them further in their education than their male counterparts.

8. Birth order determines IQ

A massive study of 250,000 Norwegians found that the greater the number of older siblings one has, the lower your IQ will be. But, don't worry, the difference isn't by much.

9. Birth rank among multiples still matters

What about twins and triplets? Well, it turns out that birth order socialization still applies to siblings born on the same day. The firstborn still takes on a leadership role and the second born is likely more compliant and willing to follow - according to psychologist, Alfred Adler.

10. Adopted children over the age of five bring their birth order with them.

An eight-year-old child who was born first in their original family would keep his firstborn characteristics, even if he is adopted into a family with a 12-year-old child. But a child under the age of 5 would assume their characteristics according to where they fall in the adoptive family's sibling order.

What do you think? Is this accurate? Let us know in the comments below!

[h/t Zerohedge]