I had 8 brothers and sisters growing up on the southside of Chicago. And it had its drama growing up with a big family. One thing I learned was if you did not eat fast, there were no second helpings. Of course there was a lot of fighting and bickering. But for the most part having a big family did have its benefits.

Now was the oldest in our family "Renee" the smartest or more successful? Well I guess you would have to ask her. She is now retired in Arizona. First-born children often think they’re smarter than their siblings according to studyfinds.org. And that might actually be backed up by science.

A recent study conducted jointly by researchers at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and the University of Sydney in Australia finds that eldest children tended to have higher IQs than their younger brothers and sisters, performed better in school, and even earned more income. The reason isn’t because first-born children receive greater emotional support at home, the researchers found. Rather it’s because their parents pay special attention to developing their thinking skills, while latter-born children receive comparatively less encouragement in this area.

I asked my morning show partner on Erica if her oldest brother is smarter and more successful than she is. "Yes, he's a college professor and it just got worse from there," she said giggling.

Do you think this rings true? I guess you probably shouldn't answer if you're the first born or an only child.

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