Why first born rules the world

So I am not surprised that a lot of first-borns are consumed with jealousy, and want to rule the world, and that last-borns have a sort of impotent rage, and want to change it. Grose applauds schools that group years 2 and 3, and years 4 and 5, together, so that as each year graduates they get the opportunity to alternate being the oldest and youngest in a group. Pecking order. Please try again later. The Age. August 21, — Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later.

Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size. From an evolutionary standpoint this seems logical: the first born gets the advantage of time—a few precious years without competition—allowing him or her to thrive. The later-borns have to compete for a place in the family and find a niche most likely to maximize parental investment.

But Damian and Roberts dismiss birth order as a factor in personality or smarts, drawing their conclusions largely from two comprehensive studies on birth order published in the past year.

The first study , published in the Journal of Research in Personality, was conducted by Damian and Roberts themselves. They tested , US high school students to see if five characteristics—extraversion, emotional stability, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience—and intelligence are determined by birth order. It controlled for things such as age, sex, number of siblings, socio-economic status, and family structure. It is the largest US study of its kind, and found no significant connection between birth order and personality traits, and only a very small difference in intelligence.

The research, conducted by a trio of German academics led by Stefan Schmukle of University of Leipzig, addressed some of the shortcomings in previous studies: it tested both between families and within the same families, across more than one country, and it did not rely on the input on just one sibling.

It controlled for gender and large age gaps. It also concluded that birth order has a tiny effect on intelligence and no effect on personality. Dream on. Damian and Roberts explain this intellectual intransigence as a simple human failing.

Also by Michael Grose. Related titles. Raising Girls Who Like Themselves. Kasey Edwards , Christopher Scanlon. Daring Greatly. The Motherhood. Hold on to Your Kids. Gabor Mate , Gordon Neufeld. Parent Talk. Parenting the First Twelve Years. Victoria L. Cooper, Heather Montgomery, Kieron Sheehy. The Strength Switch. The Modern Family Survival Guide. Toddler Taming. Good Mother, Bad Mother.