The Sibling Everyone Secretly Likes The Most, According To Research
Turns out, most families have an unspoken favorite.
Miridda | Shutterstock Our siblings are our first friends, hopefully. They're the ones who watch you go through everything in your life, even the things you would rather not remember. You would hope that all of you would be perceived equally, but unfortunately, that's not true.
Your parents, even the rest of the world, view you and your siblings quite differently. If you ever wondered who was more likable among you and your siblings, researchers may have finally answered the age-old question of who's mom and dad's favorite kid could be.
According to research, the sibling everyone secretly likes most is the youngest.
According to a 2017 study by Brigham Young University's School of Family Life that looked at the way parents treated their children, parents do, indeed, have a favorite, and hierarchies are formed within families.
They studied nearly 300 families who had at least 2 teenagers and questioned them on their relationship with each other. As it turns out, your youngest sibling is most likely to be everyone's favorite sibling, but not because of anything they've done, in particular.
Researchers asked the parents how they felt about all their children, and then asked the children how they felt about their parents. If the youngest answered that they believed themselves to be the favorite, then it showed they had a better relationship with their parents, in turn making them the favorite. But if the parents disagreed, then their relationship with each other was more strained.
Being the favorite child is all about perception, and if we all just say we are, it might come true.
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As the study stated, "siblings' perceptions of being favored predicted less conflict with and greater warmth from both mothers and fathers".
Maybe it's time to question your parents on who their favorite is and see if that can cause World War III or at least a rowdy Sunday afternoon. And if they say they don't have a favorite, tell them science says they're lying.
According to psychology professor Dr. Catherine Salmon, your youngest sibling is also perceived to be the most fun and outgoing.
In Dr. Salmon's research, she found that because your parents aren't as harsh on the youngest as they were with the oldest, the younger sibling tends to have a more laid-back attitude and the ability to be more social.
Because of how the oldest child is raised and treated by their parents, they usually believe their parents pay more attention to their younger siblings. They tend to have a more independent nature and take on a caretaker role in the family. They are likely more protective and caring of the younger siblings.
Don't get your pitchforks out just yet, as this can also lead to the youngest sibling being more spoiled, because of all the attention their parents gave them.
At least there's one silver lining in all of this. If you can't beat them, join them. And if you're the youngest in your family, we hope you use your power for good and try to book a family vacation to the Caribbean next summer.
Isabel Steger is YourTango's assistant editor. She has her Bachelor’s Degree in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago and over 2 years of experience as an editor covering relationships, parenting, and human interest topics.
