Is it true? Science has uncovered which sibling tends to land in hot water more often. According to a recent birth order study, the findings are “remarkably consistent.”
By Jamie Carson and Laura Bennett
Updated: July 18, 2023
Originally Published: July 12, 2017
It seems there’s always one sibling who has a knack for getting into trouble—think school detentions, being kicked out of the neighborhood pool for mischief, or even run-ins with the law later in life. Researchers are now suggesting that a child’s birth order may play a substantial role in these behavioral patterns. A newly revised working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research reveals that second-born children, particularly boys, are significantly more prone to mischief compared to their older or younger siblings, irrespective of family size.
Economist Marcus Green from MIT conducted a thorough analysis of thousands of children from both Denmark and Florida. He aimed to examine whether birth order affected the likelihood of engaging in trouble at school, juvenile delinquency, or adult criminal activities. The study focused on the first two children in families of two or more, ensuring they shared the same parents and excluding twins. Notably, the research zoomed in on families where the second-born child was a boy, as teenage boys statistically get into more trouble than girls.
Green’s interpretation of the findings suggests that second-born boys are more likely to encounter disciplinary action at school or even face legal consequences compared with first-born boys. The tendency for second-born boys to be troublemakers was especially pronounced in sibling pairs of brothers. Interestingly, despite the different socio-demographic contexts and judicial systems in Denmark and Florida, the impact of being the second-born was strikingly similar in both locations.
So, what could be the reason behind this difference in behavior between first-born and second-born boys? The researchers propose that variations in parental attention might contribute to the discrepancies in delinquency across birth orders. This reaffirms the age-old belief that first-born children receive the lion’s share of parental focus, while the second-born may feel somewhat neglected.
Another intriguing angle suggested by Green during an interview with NPR is that first-born children have adult role models to emulate, while their younger siblings often look up to slightly irrational toddlers—their older siblings. Naturally, modeling behavior after a two-year-old might not be the best choice. After all, if I started throwing a fit in a grocery store because they ran out of my favorite snack, I might end up speaking to an officer!
Of course, parents of two boys might take issue with conclusions drawn from this study, which paints a broad picture but doesn’t account for individual family dynamics. As a commentator noted, “This research should be viewed in context and with a critical eye.”
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In summary, research indicates that second-born boys are more likely to face trouble than their siblings, potentially due to differences in parental attention and role models. However, family dynamics can vary widely, and these findings should be taken as a general trend rather than a definitive rule.