If you’re the eldest in your family, the chances are that you’ve known this all along.
If you’re looking for some extra ammo for an argument with your brothers and sisters, a scientific study has discovered that first-born children are more intelligent than their siblings.
A team from the University of Edinburgh have determined that enjoying the full attention of both mum and dad makes for smarter kids.
In fact, the results of the study, published in the Journal of Human Resources, show that eldest children demonstrate higher IQs…even at the tender age of one.
Using data from the US Children of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth collected by the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, the research involved 5,000 children . These kids were monitored from before their birth, right up until they were 14-years-old.
Commenting on the research, Dr Ana Nuevo-Chiquero, of the University of Edinburgh’s School of Economics, told The Standard: “Our results suggest that broad shifts in parental behaviour are a plausible explanation for the observed birth order differences in education and labour market outcomes.”
The researchers were clear on one thing: these findings don’t suggest that eldest children get more love than their younger brothers or sisters, it’s just proves that the eldest gets more attention in their formative years.
So, while you might be the eldest and possibly the smartest, there’s no concrete proof that you’re mam and dad’s favourite.
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