According to a recent study, the youngest sibling of the family has been confirmed to be the funniest and the family jokester! The research comes from YouGov, concluding that the youngest sibling is typically the funniest one. In addition to this conclusion, it comes in part with the fact that the oldest sibling may be overwhelmed or stressed with their responsibility which can cause them to be more serious.
Furthermore, the chart provided below concludes some results not only based on who is the funniest, but also who is most favored by the parents, who is more organized, and who is more self-confident. The results might surprise you!
The study, which originated in the UK, mentioned the ‘clear divide’ of personality traits between siblings. “Splitting out the first and last born siblings in British families with more than one child (86 percent of the population), a clear divide in personality traits emerges.”
The study also states that 54% of the older children claimed that they were more responsible than their younger siblings. Younger siblings, however, considered themselves to be a lot more easy-going and funnier, which may correlate to the results of who is more successful, more able to prioritize their own life, and who is more self-confident.
According to the study, despite what the results may say, they may have a lot to do with age.
The study concludes, “Undoubtedly there are family forces at work – parental attention soon shifts onto new arrivals, and first borns may have to learn the ropes themselves. As evidence, elder siblings are more likely to feel more organised and able to prioritise their own lives. Likewise, younger siblings are more likely to feel more favoured by their parents.”
So, where does that leave the middle child? For those of you out there who are middle children, let’s see if this one resonates with you. We reported a few months ago that middle children are more likely to be troublemakers! In addition to this information, “specifically sons are 25% to 40% more likely to cause trouble than that of daughters”.
This is due to the middle child following suit of their older sibling, who in most cases could only be a few years older than the middle child. This can cause a domino effect of bad behavior!
Are you the youngest sibling? Be sure to SHARE this article if you are and if any of these other survey results apply to you!