Do You Think This Is True?

I don't agree with it. My oldest sister had trouble passing biology and wasn't that great of a student overall. My middle sister graduate suma cum laude from Harvard. I laugh when see articles like that.

No. My oldest nephew is highly gifted. But his younger brother the schools did his i.q. because in the first grade he had already completed all the high gifted 3rd grade material - and yes he is way up there! I do think Margie made a good point with the first most parents have more time to spend with that child.

HAHAHA No way.
THis is what I think,
MOthers have more time to devote to their firstborn. So consequently firstborns are introduced to ideas, words, activities maybe earlier than the next or the third, or fourth. By the time the fourth child appears mom is pretty busy with number one's activities. Maybe mom is too tired to read every night to number 4 or 5 whiel she read every night for 4 years to number 1.
Hence number 1 picks up some things at an earlier stage than the next ones that come along.

I think the first born is generally the center of attention for a long time, so they have a good ego, strong self esteem and no matter their intellectual level oftentimes feel and behave very confident. All this based on the fact that I am a middle child myself and my oldest sister is the most self centered human being I ever met, but is extremely successful and always made sure everyone knew it. On the other hand she drove herself so much, seldom slowing down that she had a stroke/aneurysm a year and a half ago and yet got right back up, went back to her twenty jobs, fifty book clubs, all the while bringing home the bacon and serving it up for her man. She now however does not remember that she has brothers and sisters. You younger people probably don't know that commercial....at any rate I love her and I think it is possible that the oldest can be very smart simply because they were born of a younger parent than the other siblings and the parent was probably able to spend more time with the child. All this leading to the above. A very confident first born.

haha I don't believe it. No offense to my sister (she's the oldest), but she didn't do as well in school as our brother & I did. She did decent, just not as high grades & not as good with math.

There are just too many factors that go into how smart someone becomes. How can they ever really know if being "first" makes a difference?

My sister was sick a lot when she was really young (kidneys). Perhaps that had some effect on her? (really high fevers, hospitalized, etc) Who knows.

ABSOLUTELY TRUE! I am the first born ;-)

I read the same article. Since I am the oldest, who struggled throught school and couldn't get into a college, and my younger brother is a genius who graduated with honors and then went on to get his masters degree and now has a fabulous, high-paying job in Chicago.... I don't believe this is true!!! But... I have a wonderful husband and I am blessed enough to be a stay at home mom with 2 incredible children so I do believe that I am the lucky one!

False. You are only as smart as you are going to be the minute you come into the world regardless of anyone being born before or after you.

I understand the reasoning behind it...actually had just read it. I am the younger and got better grades and was more out-going. I'm not sure if my sister is more intelligent or not, or if she just doesn't apply herself.

I think that this is still just anecdotal though, you are who you are, no matter where you were born in the line up. There is always an exception to the rule and just because of this article, it should change how people apply themselves.

Nope, I"m the first born and I'm pretty smart. But my two brothers after me are absolutely brillant -- especially my youngest brother. They just got smarter and smarter lol.

I find it really hard to believe that our intelligence is based on our birth order.

Didn't read this article, but I have read others which say that first-borns tend to me more driven, anal, A-type personalities. (This is true w/ me, a first born) This could also mean that they apply themselves more in school, etc. and thus, do better in school. I don't necessarily think it means a first-born is "smarter" per se.

I have 5 children. My first was from a previous marriage. I believe she is smarter than she lets anyone know. The next 4 are all equally academicly smart but the oldest one doesn't apply herself. She also tends to be a loose cannon win it comes to being life smart.

I don't think that first born kids are necessarily smarter, but I do think that first born kids, right or wrong, are usually expected to be more independent and are more encouraged to do things the right way, etc.
I'm a first born. I walked early, I talked early, I was sent to schools for advanced children. My little sister was the exact opposite. She was the baby. She didn't have to talk, she could point. She didn't have to walk, she was carried everywhere. I was afraid to get killed if my grades weren't great, but my sister had no worry in the world about any of that and she didn't even begin to apply herself until she got into high school. She actually earned a scholarship. She's very intelligent. She ended up not using it, but she did earn it. I went to high school and worked and took college classes at night. My sister turned down a scholarship.
We were just raised with very different expectations.
I think that had a far greater influence than our actual intelligence levels.

I agree with Kristy A. :-)

I'm first born so, of course, it's VERY true! :) Seriously, though, it does seem to ring true with most people/situations I know.

I am the oldest of two and I deffinatly think that I am smarter than my sister lol.

I haven't read the article but I believe the order in what were you born play a role in your life. In fact my older daughter just point that to me today.
She said that I have a better connection with her little sister then with her because I already learn from the mistakes I made with her.
She is right.
Doesn't mean I love more one then the other, but I am different parent.
I don't think is about one be more smart then the other but they totally have a different approach in live because the way I parented each one.
My older daughter is independent, strong, self educated (I was a young working mom)
My younger one is more dependent but has learn faster, I think because now I am SAHM and have more time to teach her and have one on one time.
However, I was more fun, childish fun with my older and no so worry about many things that I am now.
Both are smart but in different ways and I think is because the order in where they were born...o most in the order of how I grow as a mom.

For me and my siblings, this article was dead on. My older brother is WICKED smart... but was not a good student. I qualify myself as pretty smart, and I was a good student, my younger brother is super social, a hard worker, and never liked school. We fit the descriptions to a T.

J

I think it is bupkus. I am the youngest of two kids in my family and I would say that I had to be a lot more original, cunning, and resourceful to pave my own way and keep up.

My sister certainly did not teach me everything I know and our personalities (as compared to anyone) is what creates the differences in our intellect. Some people are 'book smart' but lack 'street smarts' or are more analytical and methodical than creative and entrepeneurial (neither is better than the other) and vise versa in both examples because of the way they are wired not the order they came out of the birth canal.

No. I'm the oldest, but my brother is academically smarter than I am. I had to work a lot harder for my good grades than my brother did. I however have better problem solving skills (in some ways) and have a little more drive than my brother does. He is more laid back than I am and doesn't get worked up about things like I do.

My husband is a middle child and I think he and his younger brother are smarter than their older sister academically, socially, and common sense wise. They are also more independent than she is. However, they come from a war torn country where their lives were thrown into total upheaval. My sister-in-law missed out on more schooling than her two brothers did and I'm sure that plays a big part in it.

As a teacher I see lots of siblings. There are sooo many factors that come into play when you talk about intelligence. Birth order may be one of them, but In my opinion it is far from being one of the main factors.

I think this article is a waste of time. Right in the beginning it declares that while numerous studies have been done, no definitive conclusions have been reached (even though the title proclaims that first-borns are smarter like its a fact). Just trying to measure the qualities they are studying can be tough, like intelligence, do good grades really mean you're smarter? Not really. Yes there seem to be tendencies that first-borns have in common, but that's all they are.

False! I think birth order has an effect on your personality, but not your intellect. I am the youngest of three and as we each went through school, our grades and test scores got progressively higher, with mine being the highest. That being said, my oldest brother is definitely the most driven and goal oriented. He started his first business at 25 years old and now has three. I, on the other hand, just figured out last year what I want to be when I grow up. I'm 30. :-)

I think it is false. My youngest picks up on everything his older brother is doing so he has been advanced for his age in almost everything he has done. My boys are 4 years apart.

God bless!