Are First-Borns Smarter Than Siblings?

[markio26]

NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY OLDER BROTHER SEEMS TO THINK SO................................................ ...
from what i have read it depends on the age of the mother at the time of birth, and her social, financial and physical situation... young mothers have less intelligent kids... the same goes for an older mother... so, the mother needs to be in the late twenties or early thirties to have smarter kids......in my family of origin that holds to be true.. the midddle kids are more intelligent... but, now when it comes to the kids who received the most attention, gifts, and are the brats.. the firstborn and the last born win..........

[poundwise]

Of course they are.

[Haku]

As a first-born turned evil genius, I'm going to have to go with YES on that one.

Seriously, no, I don't think first-borns are inherently smarter. Perhaps, being the oldest tend to put you in the position where you may know a slight bit more than your younger siblings (such as in my case) or that you end up with more responsibilites as well (again, my case). The result of the two only gives off the mere impression that first borns are smarter somehow.

Being a first born is also a kind of an ego trap sometimes. You're just used to giving people the impression that you know what you're doing, even when you don't. However, when I don't know something, I will try very hard to know how. So, perhaps that indirectly does make us slightly "smarter" if only because, when confronted with an obstacle, we will try to work it out rather than ask someone else to do it for us.

However, having minions doing your bidding isn't a bad idea either. Ha ha ha!

[zakity]

NO!!! I am way smarter than my older sister. I figure that we are the same intelligent wise, but as for day to day "smarts" I am way ahead.

[boefixepa]

I agree with Haku........it's because of the situation not the birth order.

I'm second of five and baised on what I see in my family I'm throwing my lot in with Haku...it's apperance, habits, and how they are raised..... not IQ.

Not sure who would win with IQ in my family, but I'm the only one whose gone to college. My bothers (all three younger than me) have street smarts...that's because they've been on the streets, (consequence of their own choices!!) and my sister (older and first born) is smart, but more in the ...finding a way to make it work...category.

All of my other siblings...live in the moment....where I'm the only one who seems to have a 'long term' perspective. I don't know why....and it started young..so it's not because of college...again 'longer term' vs. 'live in the moment'.

[DivaJen]

Originally Posted by poundwise

Of course they are.

lol - and only kids are the smartest of all.

[Snoopy2645]

Well I think its the middle who usually exceeds in everything & I am the youngest child in a family of 3 kids & dh is the oldest in a family of 5 kids & we have 3 kids & from what I seen in my own family my brother the middle child has always had everything come easy to him he barley went to school & graduated hes running our dads business because he was the only boy & my sis & I always thought he was a favorite child because of being the only boy!! Now with my kids I have 3 girls & my oldest is in tutoring & the middle child whos 5 is exceeding in everything she does she is a natural at so much stuff so I truly believe she has middle child syndrom. I do believe part of the outcome is my fault with the oldest I worked & went to school she spent tons of time in daycare & she had to start going with her dad when she was almost 3 & didnt even know him before that, I think that has screwed her up. Also I was young when I had her 18. ANd with my 5yr old I was more ready & have stayed with her she has always been with me or my mom or husband no one else. So this is my opinion on it thats it the middle kid!!!

[Thrifty Ray]

I think becoming the 'smartest' would depend on the family dynamics, educational opportunities and individual drive rather than birth order or sex.

First borns are pre-disposed to be more responsibile just by nature of the beast...but they are not necessarily inherently smarter.

[nanamom]

As the youngest, I would have to say NO! I think it looks that way becuse the first gets more time with parents to themselves thatn the others, less competition! Also the firsts seem bigger with the first. By the time the fourth one rolls around or in my case the fifth, no one jumps and claps the first time you say 1 plus 1 is 2!!!! They are too busy trying to figure out first child's math homework!!

[tgavin71]

Originally Posted by nanamom

By the time the fourth one rolls around or in my case the fifth, no one jumps and claps the first time you say 1 plus 1 is 2!!!! They are too busy trying to figure out first child's math homework!!

I have to agree with this. Even though I am the eldest my youngest sister. THere are 6 girls altogether goes on and on about this very issue.

[shengmei]

Of course they are. I am smarter than my siblings.

[Fern]

ridiculous

[Tightwad Kitty]

In my case NO to that one! My sister is the smarter one. She took that spot over at 8 months when she started walking & talking and I was 22 months old, we walked five days apart. She pulled herself up and took off. I stop talking then for long while, as she was so cute that she was answering for both of us! This is the story that my family has pasted down to us!

[shelbylovesmelby]

My older HALF sisters think they are a bit wiser than I but they should be they've got 20-25 yrs more experience on me But neither were any kind of success or went to college. I atleast have 2 yr degree!

[abowers]

My younger sister and I are both intelligent -- however, we have both made very different decisions.

We were both in accelerated classes starting in middle school, I continued on in advanced classes throughout college (many AP classes), graduated from HS with a 93 average, graduated from college a semester early, I'm now 22 (23 in July) and will be starting graduate school this summer for my master's degree.

At some point in late middle school/early high school, my sister decided she was not interested in doing her homework, especially in classes where she did not like the teacher. She ended up needing to retake a couple courses the summer after she should have graduated high school, then officially finished that August. She just turned 20, and is currently working full time as a head cashier at Home Depot.

Something that may have contributed to this is that she was in 10th grade when I went off to college. I think my mom spoiled her rotten as she was the only child left at home. (Not that I would ever say this to my parents).

We are both very intelligent, and my sister is doing well, but I believe she could go on to do much more, but she is just not interested in taking classes. I think she has some growing up to do, my parents have supported her living at home with them up until this April, as well as supporting her financially in other ways (i.e. car problems, overage minutes etc on cell phone bills). While she was still at home she would go out with friends and come back at 4 in the morning, before having to work at 7. I think (hope) she is slowly realizing that she can't continue that lifestyle, as she is now in her own apartment and paying for everything herself.

[TBH]

I'm the third of four. In our family, my older sister is definitely the smartest, but circumstances forced her to be very mature at a young age. She did not have the advantages the rest of us had and she's fought for her own successes.

There was a huge gap (10 years, diferent father) between the first two and the younger two, so in some ways I am also the oldest because I was my father's oldest child, and I was the oldest one at home after the age of 5. Between me and my younger sister, we are both smart in different ways. I was successful at school academically. She is a better artist than I am and much more creative.

I respect my parents a lot for emphasizing that she was intelligent in her own way even though she got C's and D's.

[akaivyleaf]

I'm the smartest... I'm the first born.... so I'll have to agree.

[coaster]

Seeing as how first-borns (and I'm one) are older than their siblings, they're ahead in all their learning and life experience. This gives the impression both to self and to the siblings of being smarter. But it's BS. Birth order has no bearing on native intelligence, which is determined by genetics before birth. Because of having more experience and learning at any particular point in time, the first born may be better at using native intelligence, but over the years that advantage recedes.

[PrincessPerky]

I am the second and on pure test taking brain power, my older brother wins hands down, on life and such..well that is subjective, but I would bet on me

As for my kids, my oldest would win on the tests hands down (and tied behind his back to boot!) But my second would win the empathy, and prolly any physical challenge you put to her (handicapped for age difference) My third is only 7 months, so there isn't much to go by, still just par for the family

My husband is second and yet he would win the test category......guess he breaks the mold .

I do not think birth order has much to do with inherent brain poiwer, but I do think time spent with a kid does have a lot to do with test taking abilities...My oldest had more stories uninterupted, more games with me uninterupted, but more than that, he has a 'fact brain' he likes to memorize stuff. DD...well she likes to 'do' stuff, not memorize facts.

But then I think a second born often seems faster physically because they see someone closer to their size doing things, DD walked earlier, I think in part due to her inate ability , and in part due to watching DS walk, much easier to imitate than a 6ft tall parent! Course having said that, she can 'copy moves' while DS has to have a lot more help to see what on earth you meant. (put your foot here, DD just does it, DS has to know is that on the right or left? in front of me or back...)

[shengmei]

I am a genetics grad student and I have always believed that intelligence is 50% genetics and 50% environmental. There is something called epigenetics where things happening in the environment actually interact and change the inherent genetic material.

My parents taught me how to read at age two. By the time my siblings were born, however, they were already broken up. I had to raise my youngest sibling. As the result of me learning to read eariler than my siblings, my IQ points had always been higher than them (their EQ points, however, had always been higher than me). I had often felt some guilt about always getting the better education compared to them.

Our IQ and EQ points add up equally. I am the very intellligent but socially inept one. They are intelligent enough and very, very capable of great social lives. They are extremely popular, especially among boys. I didn't even date until I was 19 and my first date turned out to be my husband. I guess the fact that he could tolerate my lack of EQ made him worthy of marriage. LOL.