Studies Show That First-Born Children Are Smarter – Here’s Why

Younger siblings might beg to differ, but studies have shown that elder siblings are actually the smartest among their siblings. According to data analyzed by economists V. Joseph Hotz and Juan Pantano, a number of factors contribute to this.

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First of all, first-born children get the undivided attention of their parents since there is no other child to look after, so basically they bring their A-game when it comes to the rearing of child number one. This plays a huge part in their development, unlike with younger siblings who have to share attention and resources.

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Secondly, it has been found that the first child usually gets the best genes of both parents, thus they tend to have higher IQs. Subsequent kids end up with “diminished genetic endowment” or diluted genes, so to speak.

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Another reason why elder siblings are smarter is due to the fact that by the time another child comes along, parents are not as enthusiastic about raising them as they were with the first. This is probably why younger siblings tend to get away with a lot, because parents are really just fed up and have little strength to be as strict on them as they were with their predecessors.

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Also, elder siblings are usually saddled with the responsibility of taking care of the younger ones. This makes them acquire teaching skills that in turn aid in better results at school. Research from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth in 1979, found that mothers tend to have higher expectations of their elder kids and regard them as high achievers while regarding the subsequent ones as “average”.

What is your perception of these studies? Do you agree or disagree?

Source: Africacelebrities.com