Are Second-Born Boys More Rebellious? Study Sparks Instagram Laughter

A study has found that second-born children, especially boys, are more likely to get into trouble than their older siblings. The research was led by Joseph Doyle, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). It looked at how the order in which children are born affects their behaviour.

The study focused on "delinquency behaviour", which includes things like getting into trouble at school, skipping classes, breaking the law as a teenager, and even being sent to prison as an adult.

Researchers studied data from thousands of families in Denmark and Florida. They compared brothers in the same family and found that second-born boys were about 20 to 40 percent more likely to be disciplined at school or get into legal trouble compared to their first-born brothers.

One possible reason, according to Doyle, is that first-born children often have adult role models, like their parents. On the other hand, second-born children may look up to their slightly older siblings, who are still young and not always the best examples to follow.

Doyle also said that second-born children might behave differently because they are competing for attention from their parents. The study found that the difference in behaviour was more noticeable in boys. Among girls, the pattern was less clear.

Another study from 2014 also suggested that first-born children may have slightly higher IQs, possibly because they receive more attention from parents during their early years.

Social Media Reacts With Humour

The study sparked funny and mixed reactions on a post shared by pubity on Instagram. Some users joked about how the findings matched-or didn't match-their own family experiences.

One user wrote, "Funny... my boys were reversed... second born rule follower... first broke every rule he could find."

Another joked, "Study written by first-born kids."

And one second-born proudly commented, "But I'm the second born and ummmmm I think I'm the best behaved one."

Though the study was serious, it clearly struck a playful chord with many families who have seen these dynamics play out in their own homes.