If you’re the oldest child if your family, guess what? A study says that you’re probably the smartest. This is sure to infuriate your siblings, of course, but science is science, right? (just kidding)
The study, which was conducted by economists at the University of Edinburgh, shows that children who are born first have better thinking skills and they even score higher on IQ tests than their younger siblings, as reported by The Guardian.
Furthermore, oldest children score better on reading tests, matching letters, remembering names, and reading single words aloud. Also, they perform better on picture vocabulary tests.
One reason for this may be because kids naturally get more attention and mental stimulation from their parents, the study says. When people are parents for the first time, there’s more enthusiasm for doing everything just right. However, the study also noted that the level of emotional support parents give their kids is consistent across all the children.
However, the study shows that parents tend to change their behavior as they have more children. They take part in fewer activities like reading to kids and teaching them musical instruments. One reason for this, of course, is that parents are just busier as more children are born into their families.
The study pulled data from the U.S. Department of Labour for the statistics.
Edinburgh University School of Economics researcher Dr. Ana Nuevo-Chiquero said this.
“Our results suggest that broad shifts in parental behavior are a plausible explanation for the observed birth order differences in education and labour market outcomes.”
With this being said, first-born children are nearly twice as likely to face the pressure to succeed in school and life, so that’s a downside. And anyhow, those of us who are first born kids love our little brothers and sisters, so don’t worry kiddos.