As the first born, am I the smartest? Maybe – but siblings shape us in far more interesting ways | Imogen West-Knights

A new book explores the impact of birth order, but how we measure up against our brothers and sisters can be complexA new book about sibling relationships, The Family Dynamic by Susan Dominus, examines how things like birth order and the specific achievements of your siblings affect a person’s life trajectory. As such, some of my favourite research is back in the public eye: the studies that suggest that I, as the eldest of three children, am the cleverest.I’m kidding. I don’t actually think this is true in my own sibling group, but sure, I’ll take it, and say so in the national press: I’m smarter than you guys, science confirms. I am very interested in siblings and their influences, though. So much so that I wrote my first novel about a brother-sister relationship. Siblings shape you in ways that are less deliberate than parents, which means their influence is less discussed, though just as important. That said, birth order has remained a public fascination, with parents agonising over whether a middle child is overlooked or eldest is overburdened.Imogen West-Knights is a writer and journalist Continue reading...

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