For many years, the scientific community, as well as the general public, have been intrigued by the notion that birth order might inform personality. I’ve noticed a few characteristics that I shared with many of my friends who are also firstborns—we all tend to be more independent, responsible and seek approval from others. However, I realized that the little evidence I had was purely anecdotal. As the older child in my family, as well as amongst my six cousins, I found this to be an interesting topic to research.
Before we jump into the research, we should remember a few things first. Personality refers to differences in how each person thinks, feels and behaves. Researchers have agreed that there are various influences that shape someone’s personality, including genetics, social circles, culture and situational. In this article, we’ll be trying to understand the role of situational, family-based circumstances, to see if it could influence someone’s personality.
From what I’ve gathered from different research papers, articles, parenting blogs- and psychology magazines, these are the main stereotypes of the major four birth-orders:
First: natural-born leader, seek approval from others, responsible, anxious, adult-pleaser, obedient, high-achiever, controlling, jealous
Middle: social, independent, generous, flexible, easy-going, attention-seekers, people-pleasers, emotional, obstinate
Last: outgoing, charming, care-free, rebellious, creative, self-centered, pampered, competitive, sense of humor, uncomplicated
Only: mature, private, sensitive, demanding, dependable, unforgiving, confident, perfectionist
According to a 2015 study done by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, firstborns are comparatively more likely to be extroverted and be leaders. Even though these differences were small, they still existed. This study also found that on average, firstborns have a slightly higher IQ score than their siblings and opt for careers that are traditionally known to be prestigious (such as medicine, law or engineering). Many other studies also support the idea that birth order tends to influence personality and lead to some distinct characteristics based on birth order.
However, there are also many studies which found that there was no relationship between birth order and personality for children. For instance, a study done in Spain found no indications that personality was influenced by birth order. These studies emphasize that there are a lot of extraneous variables (such as socioeconomic status, the age gap between siblings and gender), which would probably have a greater impact on a child’s personality rather than birth order alone.
Although this topic has been widely discussed, research studies pertaining to this topic are widely inconclusive due to the fact that there are too many variables that cannot be accounted for. However, many people (such as myself) still believe that birth order influences personality in a big way. We often see the effects birth order might have on personality manifest in our daily lives, whether it be in situations with our friends, within our families, or even in the workplace. However, it is fair to say that the scientific community has not agreed on a stance for whether or not birth order does inform personality. Maybe in a few years, researchers will find better ways to reexamine the different theories that exist and give us an answer!