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Firstborn, middle child, last-born: Birth order has only very small effects on personality

A study of over 20,000 grown-ups found no substantial effects of birth order on central personality traits, including extraversion, emotional stability, and conscientiousness. Self-reported intellect showed a small effect, with firstborns reporting better vocabulary and less difficulty understanding abstract ideas.

SourceJohannes Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateOct 19, 2015

Massive study: Birth order has no meaningful effect on personality or IQ

A massive study of 377,000 high school students found that first-borns have a one-IQ-point advantage over later-borns but the differences are statistically insignificant. First-borns tend to be more extroverted and conscientious, while later-borns have less anxiety, but these effects are infinitesimally small.

SourceUniversity of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, News Bureau·JournalJournal of Research in Personality·DateJul 16, 2015

Other highlights in the April 20 JNCI

Research investigates associations between male breast cancer, human papillomavirus (HPV) infections, and genetic variants in DNA repair genes. Ionizing radiation exposure is linked to higher male breast cancer incidence among atomic bomb survivors, while HPV detection is strongly associated with HIV status. Genetic polymorphisms in DN...

SourceJournal of the National Cancer Institute·JournalJNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute·DateApr 19, 2005

Firstborn: First risk for heart disease?

Researchers found that 46.7% of coronary heart disease patients were firstborn, with lower rates of cigarette smoking and similar risk factors compared to younger siblings. The study suggests primogeniture as an independent predisposing determinant of CHD, which should be taken into account when assessing global patient risk.