Not that Cho, Bobby, or I needed confirmation, but a recent massive study by Norwegian scientists appearing in the journal Science concludes that a child raised as the eldest has a higher intelligence quotient, on average, than younger siblings.
Boo-YA!
Besides swelling the egos of first borns everywhere, the study states our massive intelligence "appear(s) to be a result of the way the senior child is raised and adapts to the family, not to any special genetic traits that go with being born first..."
and
"The study is long on numbers and notably short on interpretation. But the bottom line is blunt: the child who holds position as the oldest will possess, on average, an IQ 2.3 points higher than younger siblings. With a sample size of nearly a quarter-million test subjects, that's compelling scientific evidence, according to one specialist."
Like I needed a study to tell me that info.
Secretly, I suspect that Big Fat Worm silently accepted the truth about what our birth orders mean in regard to personality and smarts long ago. He's very sharp actually, but I guess that science has proven me superior once and for all. Also, now that I am coupled with a middle child, I find it fascinating how birth order affects compatibility. And The Polish Princess would insist that any couple take the this test.
I think that this panel has just conceded the point: the eldest born *are* the smartest! My sister is ridiculously smart too!
BUT the woman can't ever find her keys and tends to be pretty naive in the "ways of the world". I agree with the prof, we all have smarts in different ways, and I find that middle kids tend to be more "street smart". Did I just call myself street? I think it did. Hee, hee!
ps. LOVE that meyers-briggs test! Will have to double check the scores with the Hungarian tonight.
Posted by: the polish princess | Friday, 29 June 2007 at 11:09 AM
I'm going to have to agree with The General. Intelligence doesn't equal superirity. I give my older sis credit... She's wicked sma't... but I think everyone's got their sma'ts in different areas. It's a simple fact that everyone's got 'their thing'.
Posted by: The Professor | Thursday, 28 June 2007 at 12:34 PM
don't get me wrong... my older sister is VERY smart. however, if we're looking at standardized test scores + grades in hs/college, I kinda kicked her butt.
Posted by: dairy queen | Thursday, 28 June 2007 at 08:56 AM
That's crap. Intelligence doesn't equal superiority. I'll gladly concede the Big Brain trophy to my older brother. He's also shorter, chubbier, has less hair and chews his apple sauce very loudly.
Posted by: General Disarray | Wednesday, 27 June 2007 at 01:32 PM