By Rebecca Jane Stokes — Written on Apr 09, 2018
When you're the youngest sibling in your family, it can feel like the world is against you and you don't get the attention you deserve. But when you're trying to determine how to be successful, the youngest child may have a better chance than everyone else.
Research has found that the youngest sibling in a family is way more likely to take risks in their developing careers... and thus end up far more successful and way more likely to be a millionaire. Researchers say this because the youngest kid has a natural tendency to rebel.
I really, really hope this study goes viral just so every youngest sibling on earth receives a leather jacket for Christmas this year. Bonus points if said jackets also have flames embroidered on the sides.
In all seriousness, the study shows that youngest children are more likely to be their own bosses.
This is supposed to reveal their "rebellious" temperament, but to me it kind of seems like the most logical choice after an entire childhood of people insisting that they are the boss of you.
My youngest brother is like, a poster child for this study. He's finishing the final year of a graduate program at a super-prestigious university and already has a ridiculously dope job lined up for himself.
But this study doesn't say anything about brains. In fact, research done on that score still indicates that it is the oldest (whoop whoop!) who is the smartest sibling. I believe it. As the oldest, it was my responsibility to teach my father how to read. Still, that's cold comfort when I'm cleaning houses in addition to my day job just to make ends meet.
This is ultimately a study about personality, not about success in life. It's refreshing to read research that doesn't equate amassing wealth with success.
Like, I don't know about you but I think it will be a whole lot easier to fall asleep at night knowing that while my brother might one day have a money bank the likes of which would inspire even Scrooge McDuck to see green (with jealousy, not currency), there is a very strong likelihood that he is not smart enough to find his way out of said money bank once he jumps in for a swim.
This study says absolutely nothing about the middle child of the family, because the study in itself is actually also another study being run to see just how much mistreatment a middle child can handle before they totally snap!
Rebecca Jane Stokes is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York with her cat, Batman. She hosts the love and dating advice show, Becca After Dark on YourTango's Facebook Page every Tuesday and Thursday at 10:15 pm Eastern. For more of her work, check out her Tumblr.
