LegendaryLife Blog

Being the eldest child, I find it interesting that a study by the Norway National Institute of Occupational Health along with the Norwegian Armed Forces Medical Services have reached a conclusion that I knew all along. First born children have a higher IQ then their siblings
Military Statistics

Based off over 240 thousand Norwegian men drafted in the arms forces during roughly a decade at about 18-19 years of age here is what they found.

• IQ of first born male was 103.2
• IQ of second born male was 101.2 (102.9 if first born brother died)
• IQ of third born male was 100 (103 if first two brothers died)

Why this makes sense

As this study proves my own bias, I am not going to be balanced. I believe this makes logical sense because the first born gets more attention then the subsequent siblings. I was the first to talk, the first to eat, the first to comb my hair and walk. By the time the second child comes along, the newness of this has faded slightly and so forth. What this means is that I, as a first born, got more attention (directly or indirectly) then the next ones in line. This extra attention lead to increases in intellectual stimulation, allowing me to develop quicker. In nature, this also makes sense as the first born may have to take care of the siblings in case the parents got eaten by a Saber Tooth Tiger. Higher IQ would allow me to outsmart the siblings and take care of them better to help pass on our collective genes. Of course, there are exceptions to this rule, but as this doesn’t prove my biased case, it will be ignored I am sure the same holds true to first born daughters as well.

The Bottom Line

First born are smarter… now we finally have proof!

References
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory?id=3302770