Sibling or only child? New study reveals surprising differences!

Sibling or only child? New study reveals surprising differences!

The debate over the effects of birth order on personality is a hot topic that has inspired numerous studies. A recent study by researchers at the University of Calgary shows that sandwich children, those with both older and younger siblings, have an advantage compared to only children when it comes to traits such as honesty, modesty and agreeableness. According to the extensive study, which collected data from over 700,000 participants, it appears that children in larger families tend to develop more cooperative personalities. The probability that a more child-friendly child comes from a family of six is ​​60%. However, the study emphasizes that these differences are only minor - many individual children can also be cooperative, like today.at reported.

In Germany, over half of all families live with only one child, although this often has various reasons, from parents being overwhelmed to financial considerations. Despite the popular belief that only children are socially reserved or selfish, numerous studies show that these assumptions are not necessarily accurate. In particular, it is pointed out that only children often have closer ties to their parents and often perform better at school. Professor Toni Falbo explains that only children are generally more involved in decisions, which has a positive developmental effect. These results suggest that only children do not necessarily have fewer social skills, but on the contrary may actually be more active in many social contexts spektrum.de reported.

Myth and reality of only children

The persistent stereotypes about only children as selfish or socially incompetent people are refuted by scientific evidence. Meta-analyses from the 1980s show that only children do not differ significantly from other children in their personality traits. In fact, only children often appear to be equal or even superior in social skills because they have to actively seek friendships. Studies indicate that social skills generally no longer play a role at school age - contact with peers in toddler groups and primary schools compensates for the differences. Overall, these findings suggest that growing up as an only child may offer a number of benefits that go far beyond traditional myths.