A recent study indicates that first borns are slightly more intelligent than later borns. In my experience the first born is of much higher intelligence if he or she is other than First born in personality. In other words, if the oldest child is second, third or fourth in personality this child will be more intelligent than later siblings.
This increase in intelligence seems to be due to not having older siblings who would impose limits on the child's thinking growing up. An oldest child who is Second Born could evaluate without being contradicted by a First Born. An oldest child who is Third Born could make comparisons without being criticized by a Second Born or shamed by a First Born. An oldest child who is Fourth Born could analyze without being shamed, criticized or compared unfavorably with someone else. This freedom to think produces greater intellectual ability. The greatest apparent increase in intelligence occurs when the oldest child is Third Born in personality.
A first born who is First Born tends to be dependent on others' thinking so that lack of older siblings does not produce a significant increase in intelligence.
A large age difference between Second and Third Born can result in greater intelligence in the Third Born. This also makes for greater intelligence for the Fourth Born when a large age gap occurs between Third and Fourth Born.
You cannot have a Second Born if there is a large age difference between the first and second child.
9 comments on Intelligence and Birth Order
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44 yr old mom to 20 yr. old Liz and wife of 20 yrs. to Richard. I love art history, culinary murder mysteries, my morning cuppa tea, my garden and camping. Working on going back to fitness walking and strength training in order to lose weight.
I'm a 17 year old in highschool and i'm doing an essay on you book "The birth Order Effect" We took the test and found our 'true' birth orders. chronologically i am a first born while psychologivally i am a mixture of a second nad fourth born ( i got the same score on both) . Anyway we have to do an essay on what we think of of true birth orders and if we agree or not on what you wrote. I am kind of stuck because second and fourth born traits contradict eachother, b/c a 4th born is a controller and 2nd born is a peacemaker, a mixture of them would not work out, could you give me some insight on second and fouth born personalities? I am confused at the moment.
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you can email me at vitidoux@gmail.com. if you have any information you could share on second and fourth borns, if you can't thanks anyway.
Hello Jesse, you're doing some good thinking on birth order. Let's see if I can add some more order to your thinking.
There's a good chance that the test shows your secondary birth order characteristics rather than your primary birth order. This would come about if you took the test at school where your secondary characteristics would be more prominent. If you took the test at home you would probably find the results to be different.
I would take it that you are actually a First Born from your writing. If the next one younger that you has Second Born characteristics (seen at home) this would confirm that you are First Born. The fourth and second born characteristics would come from your parents.
Second Borns are focused in their thinking while Fourth Borns are analytical. They are similar in that both of them tend to reject others' thinking, Second Borns because it does not fit with what they already know or think they know and Fourth Borns because they don't want others thinking for them. Second and Fourth secondary Birth Orders would mean you pay attention to details (Second Born) and you figure things out by analyzing (Fourth Born).
I hope this is helpful. We can keep going if you would like to learn more.
Cliff