Are firstborn children really destined for success? Not according to the latest science | Arwa Mahdawi

The age-old notion that eldest children go on to achieve more than their siblings has been debunked - but I am sticking to it anyway

What do strippers and scholars have in common? There is some evidence that they are more likely to be firstborn children, like me. The over-representation of firstborns in these professions, according to a 1975 research paper, could be down to the fact that both groups have especially intense needs for recognition, attention, and approval". Another explanation, of course, could be that the stripper study was based on just 35 people (of which 31 were firstborn) and is thus completely meaningless. But I think I prefer the original theory.

It's not just stripping and scholarship that is supposed to attract eldest kids. A 2017 Swedish study found that firstborn children are more likely to be CEOs and managers while youngest children are more likely to take risks and be self-employed. Another study (which, bizarrely, was commissioned by Disney as PR for Frozen) found that middle children are 30% more likely to be CEOs than their siblings and 41% more likely to be Olympic athletes.