Is the older brother smarter than the younger? Science explains it

Some older siblings suspect that their younger siblings are not so smart. While the younger siblings struggle to show that this is not true, science seems to reach other conclusions.

But, What does it have to do with someone being born first and not second or third? How does this influence school and work life? How wide is the difference in qualifying intelligence of one and the other brother? Here we give you all the answers.

The older brother is smarter than the rest of his brothers

Science says yes, the older brother is smarter. To the delight of the first-born, recent studies have shown that older siblings have higher intelligence than the rest of their siblings.

At the universities of Edinburgh and Sydney, more than 5,000 children were studied in detail. To carry it out, they carried out some cognitive tests every two years from the moment of their birth and up to the age of 14. The results have been published and they affirm it: the older brother has greater intelligence.

The reasons behind this result have multiple factors that are conjugated in a great majority of families, which allows the statistic to be confirmed. What's more,

It was found that this does have a direct influence on school and work life.

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What are the factors that determine greater intelligence?

The objective of the study carried out by the University of Edinburgh was to verify that older siblings had greater intelligence than younger siblings. But also discover if the reasons were biological, social or cultural.

The biological aspect was ruled out. This is because no study found that older children had more intelligence for genetic reasons. This confirmed that the determining factor had to do with aspects of education and upbringing.

1. Stimulation

Older siblings received more stimulation at an early age. When it comes to the first child, new parents are excited to stimulate any of the baby's interests. They also actively participate in early stimulation dynamics.

Whether they have access to exclusive classes for babies, or that parents encourage stimulation in daily activities. This gives children a stimulus to the neural synapse that later leads to greater cognitive ability.

2. Quality time

New parents are concerned about giving their firstborns quality time. They know the importance for the good emotional development that spending time with their parents brings to children, but they are also involved in making this time fruitful.

So parents make an effort to spend enough time with their babies, a situation that becomes complicated with the arrival of a second or third sibling. So that the older brother receives more quality time, which also intervenes in his cognitive development.

3. Greater self-confidence

Older siblings reported higher self-esteem and therefore self-confidence. Most of the older siblings who participated in this study agreed with positive statements about themselves.

"I am very good at learning new things", "I am a smart child", "School is made easier for me" are statements that the older siblings could tell about themselves, while the younger siblings did not feel as identified.

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4. Good use of language

Language development intervenes in cognitive processes. Due to the early stimulation that older siblings receive more often, their language is favored and enriched.

This in turn makes learning easier for them. Most of the older siblings registered a broader vocabulary from an early age and a communication capacity superior to that of his younger siblings.

5. Development of interests and capacities

Older siblings had more support in developing their interests and abilities. First-time parents focus more on providing their first child with everything that helps him expose her abilities.

When the younger brother arrives, this decreases markedly. Due to lack of time, budget or other factors, the support received by the rest of the siblings is less. This influences their cognitive development.

How does it influence that the older brother is smarter than the younger?

This matter is not only in terms of childhood. The study by the University of Edinburgh also yielded data on the adult life of older and younger siblings. The results showed that there is a direct relationship with better grades and better salaries.

Although in reality the difference is not enormous in intelligence levels, other factors such as Self-confidence and security provide useful tools to obtain a more school and professional life satisfactory.

Nevertheless younger siblings have a notable advantage. Emotion management and social skills are more developed in younger siblings compared to their older siblings. In this way it seems that the situation is somewhat balanced.

So it is not strange to observe that the same situation is repeated in multiple families: older siblings get better grades, are better qualified to get better jobs and have more intelligence.

On the other hand, younger siblings are more sociable, they are less fearful of risks, they are more resilient and tolerant of frustration, and they have a greater ability to solve problems. All these characteristics are also of great help for adult life.

Bibliographic references

• Rodgers, J. L., Cleveland, H. H., van den Oord, E., & Rowe, D. C. (2000). Resolving the debate over birth order, family size, and intelligence. American Psychologist, 55 (6), 599-612.

• Belmont, Lillian. (1973) "Birth Order, Family Size, and Intelligence." Science 182, no. 4117.

• Kristensen, Petter, (2007) "Explaining the Relation Between Birth Order and Intelligence." Science 316, no. 5832.