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[Zibrahim]

They know what not to do based on their elder's mistakes, they are younger and therefore have more time available to them than their elder, and they get treated better by the parents.

Are the cards in favour of them being the better sibling?

What are your experiences in this regard as a younger/older sibling?

 

[CrazyDude]

I always thought it was the opposite.

 

[block tower]

i feel like as an only child i was self defeating lol.

 

[diamount]

Hasn't worked for me. maybe my sister although that doesn't seem likely at this point.

 

[Baconsaurus Rex]

I'm way cooler than my younger sister

 

[insignia16]

As the middle child I have definitely avoided making the same mistakes my older sister made as we were growing up, but being a younger sibling doesn't guarantee you'll turn out better than your older siblings by any means. My younger sister seems to make most of the same mistakes my older sister made but is very irresponsible and careless compared to both my older sister and I.

 

[Branduil]

No.

 

[Josh with a J]

I'm the youngest of four and yes, I am the greatest.

 

[Zibrahim]

I always thought it was the opposite.

Me too. Then I realized the older sibling may be better purely because of pressure from the parents to be a good example and from the sibling to protect them from bad experiences they don't know about. But in that, the younger sibling can ride the coats of the older one until they eventually surpass them.

 

[terrisus]

No, every situation is different.
And personal anecdotes of "Well, I'm <Sibling X>, and my <Sibling Y> is <Better/Worse>" don't change the general answer to that.

Yes, there are certain traits and tendencies which are more or less possible depending on birth order.
But, your birth order doesn't "destine" you to one or the other extreme of "Better/Worse"

 

[Zombine]

I sure hope so because I was a disaster. I'm so glad my brother applied himself and he's doing so well in college.

Physically I'm the alpha though. It's weird. We look nothing alike and it makes him jealous, but I would rather be in the position he is in.

 

[John Kowalski]

I was supposed to be the smart one.

It sucked.

 

[Kater]

My brother repeats almost everything I've gone through. (He's 19 and I'm 24)

 

[Piercedveil]

I do think it could be easier for a younger sibling since they often get to watch the older sibling do things first. I'm the older sibling, so I went to college first and chances are I'll end up getting my career going first. It's easy information for my younger brother if he ever wants to know about these type of things, for example.

Not sure if it's "destiny" for them to become better but I think it would help quite a bit if the older sibling is already successful.

 

[Zibrahim]

Now that I think about it, manifest destiny should have been Canada's mantra.

 

[unholyrevenger72]

Considering the low bar most people set, it's not hard.

 

[kswiston]

Not from my experience. Where I had the responsibility of taking care of my three siblings and working to buy the things I wanted throughout my teenage years, my sister and youngest brother were just handed everything. My youngest bro was 17-18 before he got his first job. Both have yet to move out and they are 26 and 27.

 

[Mariolee]

Not from my experience. Where I had the responsibility of taking care of my three siblings and working to buy the things I wanted throughout my teenage years, my sister and youngest brother were just handed everything. My youngest bro was 17-18 before he got his first job. Both have yet to move out and they are 26 and 27.

Pretty much. Younger siblings seem to be better pampered, though of course that depends on the parents.

 

[Bulbo Urethral Baggins]

When you're separated by less than a year from your brothers on each side, you tend to have a little rivalry. I won.

 

[Josh with a J]

My older brothers all had to help out with me. They knew from the start that I would become king.

 

[lastflowers]

I watched my older brother do a lot of dumb things and get caught. I learned and didn't get caught when I did dumb things. He also floundered around in college, though ended up doing well for himself. We're both doing fine. We're shaped by our experiences and our desires. Neither are destined to be greater than the other

 

[kswiston]

Pretty much. Younger siblings seem to be better pampered, though of course that depends on the parents.

In my family's case, I think my parents stopped caring as much and also had more money by the time my youngest siblings were teenagers. Our age gaps are 3, 5, and 7 years. My dad went into business for himself when I was 16. It took a couple of years to really get going, and by then I was gone.

 

[Seth C]

I'm the oldest and fucked over all the younger siblings by setting the bar too high. They didn't have the drive to surpass it.

 

[Escape Goat]

It is their density.

 

[itwasTuesday]

I'm an only child. always best and worst

 

[Josh with a J]

Damn, what's up with all my baby of the family bros and girls slacking!

 

[Freeza Under The Shower]

can't say I know of any research on it, but I would argue that it's probably random.

 

[danwarb]

No. None of that matters.

 

[kswiston]

Also, unless their older sibling self destructs in a traumatic way, teenagers are pretty good at not learning from the mistakes of others.

 

[anarckitty]

From just my own personal experience I have been more successful in life than my older brother. We're four years apart. About a week before my dad died he called me his Piece de resistance.

 

[Eggbok]

I doubt Natali Germanotta will come close to Lady Gaga.
So no I don't think so.

 

[kswiston]

There's also stuff like this so we aren't just talking anecdotes:

Success seems to fit firstborn children. Many firstborns show leadership qualities. Alfred Adler said firstborns were in a favorable position being larger and stronger, but, to keep their position, they also had to be more clever (1928). In studies as early as Galton's English Men of Science (1874), disproportionate numbers of firstborns have achieved eminence. A higher percentage of firstborn children have become scientists, professors, presidents, Rhodes scholars, and astronauts. More firstborns have been finalists in the National Merit Scholarship tests compared to any other birth order (Muzi, 2000). This advantage may be explained by the fact that firstborns have only adults for language models and social interactions in the most formative period while their siblings are influenced by their predecessors in the family.

Younger siblings are more likely to be outgoing/sociable though.

 

[Kusagari]

 

[BLACK AMERICAN PSYCHO]

Nope

 

[Delta Assault]

...is this a Space Brothers thread?

 

[Pyccko]

Youngest of 3 here, and no, absolutely not in my case. My older brother and sister have all their shit together and I'm totally floundering.

 

[Winterfang]

My little sister has surpassed me in a lot of things, but she can't keep friends because she is kind of an asshole.

 

[Manmademan]

Middle child. Far ahead of the other two (one male, one female) in every way one could name.

 

[Patriots7]

My siblings are much better/smarter than me.

 

[okno]

I'm the youngest of three boys in my family. Growing up, my oldest brother was the star of the family who had everything lined out perfectly for him in his life. I've surpassed both of my brothers by a substantial margin. It's a very strange feeling. We all get a long very, very well but whenever we hang out it's a little awkward when they kvetch about the short-comings in their life and all I can do is talk about all of the successes that have happened and the things lined up...

 

[Zeus Molecules]

In my case, not if I can help it.....

 

[ahoyhoy]

Eldest sibling is currently the most successful of my siblings, but I suppose if I'm the first one married off (even if it's to a guy) I'll be the "most successful" in that regard

 

[yogloo]

I'm never meant to be no 2.
I would probably end up burning myself in an incinerator or something.

 

[thesoapster]

They know what not to do based on their elder's mistakes, they are younger and therefore have more time available to them than their elder, and they get treated better by the parents.

Are the cards in favour of them being the better sibling?

What are your experiences in this regard as a younger/older sibling?

What gave you this idea??? Complete opposite situation for me, then again I was an accident, so perhaps that's an underlying factor that permeates it all.

 

[mugurumakensei]

I'm the youngest. Im the only one who has held a job for more than 3 months. So, in my case, the answer is yes.

 

[Byronic Hero]

There's also stuff like this so we aren't just talking anecdotes:



Younger siblings are more likely to be outgoing/sociable though.

That's pretty cool. I knew there was a reason I was the oldest/best.

 

[botty]

 

[Arkos]

I'd kill her before I'd let that happen

Spoiler

that is a joke. But seriously though. No

 

[_Isaac]

They know what not to do based on their elder's mistakes, they are younger and therefore have more time available to them than their elder, and they get treated better by the parents.

Are the cards in favour of them being the better sibling?

What are your experiences in this regard as a younger/older sibling?

I think it's backwards. I guess it's true that they can learn from their older siblings' mistakes, but I actually they get less attention from the parents. Parents are always more careful with the first child. By the time they get to the second or third child they're kinda over it.

 

[B.K.]

No. I'm the youngest in my family and I'm a complete and total failure.