Your older sibling really is smarter

June 29, 2007

 When I started reading this article explaining why older siblings are smarter, being the older sibling, I thought: “Awesome, I always knew!” But of course I thought it was BS. Couldn’t be true. My siblings have Master Degrees, and I barely got out of undergrad.

 But after you start reading through the article, you start to understand them. It’s not a genetic factor nor is it based on “birth order”:

Kristensen and his colleagues (…) also concluded it doesn’t matter if you aren’t really the first child. If an older sibling dies young and you end up first in the household, you’ll be smarter.

 Instead, they argue that it is likely related to how kids are raised and what they are exposed while growing:

San Rafael psychologist and first-born child Ann Buscho theorized that older siblings might do better on IQ tests because they have better language skills, the result of growing up in an adult environment for a longer period of time. She said standard IQ tests favor language skills.

 It does make some sense. My 2 yo (only child) spends more time with adults than with other kids, and I don’t know how that influences his language, intellect or even his social skills. He seems quite smart for his age, solving puzzles and recognizing shapes and even some letters, but his language and social skills seems to be a bit behind. I try not to worry about these issues, just letting him develop normally, but I wonder if the lack of a sibling or other kids affects his development somehow.

 My wife is due next month, so he won’t be lonely for long and my second kid will start his own journey, with his brother by his side. Should I worry that my younger kid won’t be exposed to the same intellectual challenges like his older brother? Will the fact that he’ll have an older brother have any effect on his development?

 And why is that?

 Having an older brother might provide a sense of security (someone that will be there to protect me). What happens if you don’t have an older sibling? Does the lack of this “sense of security” make us develop our intellect and intelligence more because we have to “watch our own back”? Or is this just a reflection on how we generally expect more from our oldest kids?

 Older kids tend to “tutor” younger ones, and that is one of the explanations out there. Tutoring seems to be more challenging to the one explaining than to the one learning and that sounds like a possible explanation as well.

 However, right when I was about to publish this article, I read another article where the youngest of 5 was invited to join Mensa (a high IQ club). She’s only 3.

 Too many questions, too many possible answers. I think I’ll just try to raise my kids the best I can, wishing I’m not making them any dumber
 So to all parents out there: Stop obsessing with your kid’s intelligence. Let them grow by themselves. Of course, if they’re 31 and still live with you, then you might have a problem. 

 Interesting article. I wish they had explained how the older sibling is also better looking and funnier. That would be a great Thanksgiving dinner topic.

Posted in Family, Lifestyle