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10 Ways That Birth Order Affects Your Life
Where you exist in your family’s birth order can profoundly inform your path in life, whether because of genetics or simply the way that family members tend to treat firstborns vs. middle children vs. youngest children. Psychologists have been debating the “Why?” since the 1800s, but, as ConvergEx's Nick Colas notes, the outcome is certain regardless of the cause – the effects of birth order last for a lifetime...
Via ConvergEx's Nick Colas,
For example, firstborn kids are often rules-following and do better in society, while younger children tend to be revolutionaries, artists and so forth. Only children generally act like firstborns. Today’s Note from ConvergEx explains how birth order matters through the lens of a top 10 list of things you should know about birth order psychology. After all, much of business and investing depends on your ability to evaluate people, and this is another useful tool.
Note From Nick: If you had to size up a stranger and you could only ask them one question, what would it be? For me, the answer is simple: “Where are you in the birth order of your siblings?” Are you a first/only child, or a later born? As Beth outlines today, the answer is quite telling. By virtue of genetics or childrearing (the debate rages there), birth order matters a lot to the person you become.
Question: What do Hillary Clinton, Marissa Mayer, Oprah Winfrey and Beyoncé have in common? Answer: They are all firstborn girls. Who all happen to be on the Forbes list of most powerful women in the world. And if you consult findings from the vast field of birth order psychology, you’ll see that there is probably more than coincidence at play here. A study released just last month found that firstborn girls are statistically the most likely to succeed among any combination of birth order and gender, for the simple explanation that parents devote more time and energy to them. It could be that they are more intelligent too, but evidence points to the role of parental investment as the leading cause.
Well what about Jeff Bezos, Steve Jobs and Aristotle? They were all adopted. And according to Adam Pertman, author of a book on the subject titled Adoption Nation, adopted people “feel more compelled to show that they can do it” due to a sense of loss of their original family. A feeling of rejection often pushes adopted children to wonder if they are good enough and whether they are the reason their original family is no longer intact. As a result, they’re predisposed to prove their worthiness and avoid another tragedy.
While birth order is not the end all be all – for example Ted Bundy was also adopted – it certainly impacts our personality and therefore the course of our lives. Success in the business world is partly dependent on your ability to read people and understand their emotional intelligence, of which birth order plays a key role. Thus we’ve compiled a top 10 list of things you should keep in mind about birth order psychology and how it factors into our lives. Read on for the details…
1) More than half of Nobel prizewinners and U.S. presidents are firstborn children, as were 21 of the first 23 astronauts into space. Again, there is more than coincidence at play here because the general psychological consensus is that firstborns are natural leaders and perfectionists who tend to be ambitious and possess strong drive and determination. As a result, they gravitate toward professions requiring precision such as careers in science, medicine, law, engineering, computer science and accounting, according to research published in Science Daily.
2) Secondborns and middle children are the most likely to become professional athletes. They often feel inferior to their older siblings and thus are fiercely competitive, leading them to excel at team sports. This competition also pushes them to be innovative in coming up with ways to stand out from other siblings, and they also learn to become good negotiators and compromisers, which causes may to possess superior social skills later in life. Popular career choices include trial lawyers or social activists, who may be attempting to capitalize on a sense of injustice from being overlooked by the demands of their oldest and youngest sibling (also according to research published in Science Daily).
3) Lastborns are the most self-confident and socially successful. As the “baby” of the family, lastborns develop strong social and coping skills as a result of being nurtured by older family members. They learn from older siblings and therefore tend to reach some milestones earlier in life. They also tend to be affectionate, creative and spontaneous and thrive on being center of attention while blaming others for their mistakes.
4) Only children get the highest grades, but they struggle in kindergarten – socially. Ohio State researchers studying how kindergarteners make friends found that those without siblings have poorer social skills vs. their peers, but by the 5th grade those social skills normalize and as adults there is no lingering effect. Additionally, a study published in the American Sociological Review found that siblings hurt a child academically, as the greater the family size the less time parents spend talking to each child about school and the less they save for college. Parents of larger families also have lower educational expectations for each child and fewer available educational materials.
5) Each additional sibling you have reduces that likelihood that you will divorce by as much as 2%. The same Ohio State researchers as in #4 elaborated that more siblings translates to more experience in dealing with others, which seems to lead to additional assistance in dealing with marriage relationships later on in life. More siblings also means more opportunities to practice negotiating and understanding opposing points of view. Interestingly enough, though, the divorce benefits stop after the 7th sibling. The 8th doesn’t hurt, rather just stops having an effect on communication skills, etc.
6) The greater the age gap between siblings, the better chance the children have to succeed. A study conducted by the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex concluded that children are most likely to achieve higher levels of educational attainment if the distance between their siblings is four years or more.
7) Firstborn girls are 13% more ambitious than firstborn boys. According to the same University of Essex study, firstborn girls are statistically the most likely to succeed for this reason, as the extra dose of ambition means that they are more likely to further their education than their male counterparts. Firstborns overall, regardless of gender, are 7% more likely to continue their education than are their brother and sisters.
8) There is a negative correlation between birth order and IQ. Psychologists have been debating this statement for decades, but a recent study by Norwegian epidemiologists Petter Kristensen and Tor Bjerkedal received major respect from the psychological community. Praised for its sheer size (some 250,000 Norwegian constituents) and strict controls for family size, the study deemed that the greater the number of older siblings one has the lower the IQ – albeit not by much.
9) Birth rank among twins, triplets, etc. – though it may be determined by only a matter of minutes – still matters. The firstborn takes on a leadership role for a twin pair, while the secondborn is more compliant and willing to follow, according to multiple studies by the pioneer in the field of birth order psychology, Alfred Adler.
10) Adopted children over the age of five bring their birth order with them. Before the age of five, regardless of whether they are adopted within the family’s birth order, adopted children naturally take on the characteristics as would any child. However, an 8-year-old firstborn adopted child would still have the personality traits of a firstborn even if he/she were adopted into a family with a 12-year old. You can see how conflict might arise…
To sum it up, birth order – and to a broader extent, family life – matters, even though we don’t yet know why it does. There are no hard and fast rules, as in the Steve Jobs/Ted Bundy comparison, but birth order psychology indeed provides a set of loose guidelines that, in conjunction with other analytical tools, can contribute to your understanding of another person – what motivate them, what causes them to succeed and under which circumstances they are likely to fail.
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So true my dearest! This is why they correctly call it a soft science. If I weren't a lady I'd call it a fucking flabby piece of shit detritus that anyone with a speck of respect for the Scientifc Method would treat as dubious at best. Thank goodness I maintain my dignity, composure and lack of prejudice.
Miffed;-)
There you go again... sugar coating shit. Tell us how you really feel, lol!
You should punch your youngest in the throat & tell her to stop being such a flaky douchebag.
Someday she'll thank you for it!
I can't imagine why you would say something like that. I mean, you have never had an ass kicking like you would get if you said that to a real life woman about one of her kids.
Abe Lincoln was an aquarius. Deep thinkers. Intuitive. Humanitarians contemplating the possibilities is what Aquarians do best.
:) I think it is month born, weather factors, winter babies vs spring/summer/fall. Spending more or less time with mommy feedings during harvest or more during winter months when indoors is where the action is. (less time with mother creates a touch of anxiety which changes personality when a baby). Many factors apply to personality but first few years of life (bonding).
Thanks bunny. I'm going to tell her that and I hope it will cheer her. You can't know how hard it was for me to listen to her cry that she wished she was her sister.
Having a shy contemplative child today is hard. They are not celebrated for what they are and are pushed to be more aggressive. One mother admitted to me she put her shy boy on medication " to help him improve socially" I was shocked. I'm sure this must have been some off label use of an antidepressant. I can't believe that now have a "shyness" pill. Soma for all and everything I guess.
Miffed;-)
maybe I'm just an olde tymer but isn't that medication called crystal meth?
Love ya Miffed but that astrology stuff will lead you and yours down the wrong path. You may think it is harmless (as I once did) but once you know what it it really is you will want nothing to do with it. Just sayin.
I get all my astrology readings from my ouija board.
Most people who are so inclined print out Time Warner Cable's logo and get it tattooed on their ass to affirm agreement with that philosophy. They tell their friends is means something really smart & awesome in the Asian countries. How committed are you?
I was only committed for a couple of years, then they let me out due to budget cuts.
Thanks crawdaddy,
I really am not very religious about much anything really. I'm kind of a Buddhist at heart. My chart is fairly descriptive of who I am but I know I'm a thinking person that will never allow myself to be hooked into any view or astrological Reading. Yes I had a very defined dogmatic view at one point in my life and I realized I was miserable living in such rigidity. Though I was a regular church goer I felt lost. When I tossed it all and started looking within I finally saw God all around me.
This is just my path in life and I truly honestly respect others paths as what is right for them. Judge least you be judged. Funny thing, I am actually living more of a Christian life now that I ever was before when actively trying.
Miffed;-)
I hear ya amiga. Peace and love is a universal concept and almost anyone can relate to it.
at least neither one is a Libra = sleazebag of the Zodiac
I'm the sixth child of ten kids, and I'm in Mensa, but know I know why my older siblings always called me an idiot! Number 8 above proves they were smarter than me!!
8 what?
Does mensa have any members who are successful in life or is it just a club for underachieving "geniuses"? Sorry for the jab, but I must have envy issues.
I cribbed off a guy (we became best buds) on the Mensa oral finals down in Soledad
Knuks - That's funny man. I joined MENSA using fake I.D. off a dead guy. Took them 3 years to figure it out.
I messed up and accidently joined menso...
And now they will never let you leave!
Clearly 13% Bullshit
I punched my mother in the mouth, but I'm a "last-born". Is that wrong?
I was born under a bad sign.
First, middle, last born... it's like comparing your birth to your grandfathers birth.
I was born under a bad sign too, it said... 'Next Gas Station, 28 Miles'. That was right when my mom and dad ran out of gas on the way to the hospital.
There is only one thing you need to consider about this post. And that is, it`s based on psychological studies. This is not science folks, this is opinion akin to an S&P rating, and for the most part bullshit.
My older brother was a cretin. my youngest sister was a mentally ill hanger on who never felt the need to grow up. The rest of us turned out to be fairly successful. My mother had 7 kids between 1946 and 1954. No one had an advantage over any other because there just too many of us to pay any particular attention to. I graduated from University with a 1st class honors degree in Psycology and Sociology and I can attest to just how fucked up both psuedo sciences really are.
This article is meaningless.
But if people want to use this junk social science as a reason to sterilize themselves, it's probably an overall-good thing, right?
I mean, who needs more of these waste-kids stink-in' up the place? Am I right?
Yes
Not much real science left in this world nowadays I noticed... Politics, money, cronyism, all working together to make science more "maleable".
Bullshit on the other hand, is at all-time highs for sure.
Being the last of 5 the only thing I can see really being influential is observing the successes and failures of others. Been pretty helpful.
1st family 9 of 10 starving kids...adopted at 4
2nd family 4 of 4 dysfunctional kids...adopted again at 10
3rd family 6 of 7 extremely dysfunctional kids... nobody was willing to adopt me again.
I'm a mucking fess,,,
;-D
[Edit] This is a serious problem. We know that mental health is an important and underfunded topic. We know that it is subjective at times. Psychiatrists are principally dispensers of medication for clinical diagnoses. Psychologists kind of get a short shrift when it comes to credibility. Unfortunately, we really need their services. As we get closer to the asymptotic break there will be more and more cases of amok. Support your local therapist...I do... ;-)
I used to beat the crap out of my little brother every chance I got. Now he makes lots more money than I make and he never lets me forget it. Go figure.
If you don't already, the next time you see him give a hug and tell him you are proud of him. We all leave this world the same.
Gets a plus for at least being kind of interesting.
I'm guessing this survey would have been a lot shorter if it had been carried out in China. perhaps Hilary is the reason they kill off the child if its a girl.
So if each additional child reduces the risk of divorce by 2% then it appears that having 50 children protects you from divorce,
Then again each additional child probably increases the risk of going crazy by at least 2%.
It's a lose lose situation. LOL.
Some days, it seems like a child increases odds of divorce by at least %10,000. Some days, I tell myself I never, ever should have been a parent.
BTW-all fathers or fathers-to-be of girls should see this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oaNRhtip6S4
A relative of my wife once said:
- Every mother receives a load of love, places most of the first child, and dividing others will go as born.
Perhaps the wisdom of this mother who had twelve sons explain a lot.
:-)
Why must the world put such stereotypical parameters on people, such agism.
This is a stupid article that has no place on ZH.
yep
Angus was born under an "bad sign" WTF?
Human Beings have (2) choices in life! Happy/ Sad Bitchez!
No matter what you do! You're either happy or sad! (Just like a fucking DOG!)
I think my dog misses his balls.
Other than that hes a pretty chipper fellow.
Another thing about younger brothers, they see their older brothers relationships ending in disaster and heart break and decide it's not worth the hassle to pay child support to kids that reject you.
The OP needs to enlarge his sample size to include all major cultures. Getting rid of the US Centric Worldview can help him to see the bigger picture.
10 ways birth order really affects your life as TPTB see it. (IMO)
You are Born Ripe for:
1. 20 or more vaccines, many before you are weaned to serve Big Pharma -$$
2. A diet of healthful Nestle/Monsanto & Toxic disposable diaper products -$$
3. Radiation from WIFI, Smart Meters & cell phone Towers everywhere -$$
4. TV diet of CFR cohorts including Disney & the MK Ultra ring - $$
5. Common core day care & schooling from before you can read- (Family decay)
6. Govt “education” about sex acts & orientations from 4-6yrs -(Social decay)
7. More pop culture to teach you are a “Sexulaised-Consumer-Tweeny” -(Social decay & $$)
8. Debt is good starting with credit phones, Student loans & then balloon mortgage debt -$$
9. Being fodder/tax donor to a banker war or losing your shirt in a stock market crash -$$
10. Being noticed as a potentially Useful Idiot or just a Uselesseater... there lies your future - $$
Yeah but what really matters is what team you're on. Blue or red they both have shit all over their uniforms.
My parents had my brother and said, "Surely we can do better than that."
Then they had me and said, "Fantastic! What a perfect child. Wonder if we can do any better."
So they had my sister and said, "We should have stopped while we were ahead."
Pops, thats enough scientific research for me, you can have your Nobbley Prize.
Next up on zero hedge, some kind of bullshit article about dieting and a fluff piece about the latest celebrity couple.
Tomorrow: how cute will russian jew Mila Kunis be after her baby is born?
Granted, this is a BS puff piece. Lets try to rescure some value and rigor from it. The article describes differences of a small percent that can be observed in large populations. The commentors basically say "Yup, that describes my family" or "Nope, thats completely wrong." The predictive "value" of the study degrades the smaller the population that you're describing gets. Then you get to the size of a family, its of almost no value at all. Since the subject of the study is of the family unit, there is no actionable information or predictive value to this study at all. What in the world led them to do it?
Next up on ZH: How head shape determines personality. Are you dolicocephalic enough to be a leader?
Bonus: Get ahead of the pack with these secret handshakes!
My mum used to say if I'd have been her first child, I would have been her last.
Would like to think it's because I'm absolutely perfect, but the tone of her voice when she said it makes me wonder.
Mayer knows how to dress.
The Beyonce knows how to undress.
Hitlary not know how to dress and it is better that you do not undress.
Quality of ZH articles sinking like Titanic. What's next? Tips on going long or short based on rokuyou? ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_calendar#Rokuy.C5.8D ). Long during taian, short during butsumetsu?
Well, I am the most introverted of 4 boys, and as the lastborn I make 50% more money than any of the prior 3 - almost 5X that of the eldest.
So there's that. Or, am I the exception that proves the rule?
Seems like it's been 40 years ago my mom suggest I read this book (I didn't as I was pretty sure I couldn't change my birth order):
"The Birth Order Book"
http://www.amazon.com/Birth-Order-Book-Why-You/dp/0800734068/ref=sr_1_1?...
New invention?
These stats are bullshit. Tell me how successful the first born women in China and India are.....then let's compare notes. Btw, becoming a CEO..does not make you successful... Just ask John Corzine.
Which sibling be the most obese?
This article is complete bullshit. We live in a society dominated by cronyism and nepotism, yet Colas wants to attribute the rise of firstborns into positions of leadership as some mystical quality that only the have? Please.
He should stick to writing about economic predictions that never come true. Economists must be running out of material.
My parents died before I was born.
Here comes a bunch of anecdotes that either support or deny the statitical sample.
My favorite, The Jerk: It was never easy for me. I was born a poor black child.