Is It Better to Be an Older or a Younger Sibling?

National Siblings Day is April 10th, which means it’s time to honor our beloved brothers and sisters—no matter how annoying they may be!

Yep, we are DEFINITELY still holding a grudge against our big brother for ratting on us when were 14 and broke our strict 11:00 p.m. curfew. Never going to let that one go, Tim…

Tattletaling notwithstanding, we think that you would all agree that life is a heck of a lot better when you have a sibling to share the good times and the bad, from joyous holidays to those requisite rough patches that every family endures. No matter if you are the responsible older child, or the zany younger, it always feels good to have someone by your side who knows your history.

But warm and fuzzies aside, the topic that most readily comes to our own mind as we approach National Siblings Day is how birth order affects an entire family’s dynamic. Random, right?

You see, prior to looking into it, we always just assumed that it was better to be the older sibling. Of course, it could have something to do with the fact that we are, in fact, the younger sibling—but it’s a premonition that always made more sense to us.

Older siblings get the new bikes, the new toys, more attention from the parents (at least initially), usually more cash for college, and more responsibility, while the younger is forced to wear hand-me-downs and fend for themselves. Talk about tragic!

Well, according to several studies, there is a distinct difference between older and younger siblings and the life-long trends that follow them.

For instance, researchers found that first-born children tend to be more effective leaders than their younger siblings. No surprise there, right? Well, what if we told you that they also are generally regarded to be the “favorites” of the parents. Again, not shocking!

Having said, that, the first-born is also usually not as healthy as his or her siblings. The oldest child has a higher risk of developing high blood pressure than their little brothers and sisters. Yikes!

Younger siblings, on the other hand, have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and generally stay slimmer than their older sibs. But, on the other side of the coin, they tend to not do as well in school as the eldest children in a family.

See, we told you that being both an older sibling and a younger one comes with both advantages and disadvantages. To learn more about these perks and drawbacks for yourself, be sure to watch the video below. You won’t get an answer to the age-old question of whether it’s better to be older or younger, but you WILL walk away with the knowledge of how birth order may have affected you. Fascinating stuff!

We’d love to hear your take on the subject of birth order. Is it something that you, yourself, identify with? Has your experience been different than what the studies found? Do you get along with your siblings?