To the question of whether some of the differences between brothers and sisters are determined by their rank of birth in the siblings, science shows that yes. We now know that the order of birth of a person in relation to his brothers and sisters influences not only his personality, but also his cognitive abilities. Thus, the oldest would be, according to a German study, the most intelligent of a sibling.
Birth order affects intelligence
This was recently revealed by a study by a team of psychologists from the University of Leipzig in Germany.
According to the statistical results of this study, the first-born of siblings would be, on average, the most intelligent, an average result which concretely translates into the fact that six out of ten seniors are indeed more intelligent than the rest of their siblings.
On the other hand, the researchers also noted that, statistically, the higher the rank, the more the intelligence decreased, decreasing each child by 1.5 points.
Why older people are smarter
Two important elements explain the cognitive differences, but also personality, between siblings.
On the one hand, there is the fact that parents do not treat children in the same way according to their order of birth. On the other hand, the roles of children in relation to their siblings are also different.
The parents' attitude towards the child influences the intelligence
Despite what one might think, the idea that intelligence varies according to the order of birth is not new.
As early as 1874, naturalist Francis Galton had noticed that most British scientists were first-born. He hypothesized that their parents favored them over their siblings and that they had the opportunity to develop their intellectual abilities better.
When their first child is born, the parents are still inexperienced and give the child their full attention. This attention can translate into greater expectations, something that is associated with greater intelligence over the long term.
The role of the child within the siblings influences intelligence
For the psychologist Julia M. Rohrer and her colleagues in the study, seniors' superior intelligence would come from the fact that as adults, they are the ones who explain to their younger siblings how things work. .
But teaching things to others requires great cognitive skills. Julia Roher explains: "Children need to remember their own knowledge, structure it and think of a way to explain it to their younger siblings".
On the other hand, the elder would naturally take a leadership role for his siblings, who would often be asked to care for and pass on what he was taught, which would increase his sense of responsibility, and his intelligence.
Other factors that influence children's intelligence
Although the role of genetics is important in determining the intelligence of people, it only accounts for about 40%.
As for the rest, it is above all an environmental matter. And by environment, we mean the education and the treatment received from the parents, the food, the entourage, etc.
Here are some of the environmental factors that increase children's intelligence, according to a study published in the journal Cognitive Development:
- A stimulating environment including games, conversations, time spent with them, exclusive attention ...
- A long duration of breastfeeding. In addition to the indisputable benefits of breast milk for the health and physical and cognitive development of the child, mothers who breastfeed for a long time are more available to their child, interact more with him and have better emotional ties with him.
- A smaller number of older siblings. The older a child has older siblings, the less exclusive attention he receives from his parents.
- A high level of parents' studies.
- A birth weight that is not smaller than normal.
