Middle children are more cooperative than their siblings, study suggests

After decades of debate, one of the largest ever studies on birth order suggests it does actually make a difference

The debate has raged for more than a century: does birth order help to shape personality, or are conscientious firstborns and creative youngest children flawed stereotypes based on flimsy evidence?

After decades of contested claims, a handful of recent studies found there was little evidence for meaningful differences. But in a study published on Monday, psychologists have pushed back and claim there is an effect after all.