Does birth order shape your personality? Parade sure thinks so, and says if you’re a first born you’re likely to be responsible, cautious, bossy, and hardworking. Blame the parents
Parents are definitely harder on firstborns, says NPR. They’re hoping the example the firstborn sets will lead the way for younger siblings
Seems like that extra parenting pays off -- Insider says firstborns are more likely to become CEOs and have “traditional success”
And when it comes to higher education, firstborns are more ambitious, though firstborn girls beat out firstborn boys -- Scientific American
That makes sense -- Elite Daily looked at the data, and firstborns do the best in school *and* do better on IQ tests. They’re also less likely to do drugs
But it’s not all sunshine for first borns. Parents.com says all that attention comes at a cost -- they often feel pressure to be perfect and are afraid of making mistakes
Everyday Health agrees, and warns of “oldest-child syndrome”. First borns get certain perks, and get to boss around their younger siblings -- but they’re so into being in charge they sometimes refuse to accept help
There are definitely trade-offs -- 538 says no doubt firstborns have a lot of things going for them, but being a star athlete isn’t one of them
And Wevorce points to another disadvantage -- first borns can be real bossy! It’s the reason first borns shouldn’t marry first borns. It’ll be a power struggle
But is this... real? The Conversation Magazine suggests we take this whole birth order thing with a grain of salt. There are countless other factors at play too
WaPo agrees. New studies are debunking older birth order theories. It might all be more random than anything
But satirical site Waterford-Whispers says the research is clear -- “First-born children are complete and utter wankers”