Could Having a Sister Makes Us a Better Person?

Having a sibling can truly impact our lives. And, that is now confirmed by science. It was discovered that having an older or younger sister can make our life better. The lead author of the research is Laura Padilla-Walker.

She is a professor at Brigham Young University.

This research sorts out the impact of parents within families, and the influence of siblings. According to the lead author, even if you account for the influence of parents, still siblings matter in one-of-a-kind ways.

Siblings can give children something which parents cannot. This research is published in the Journal of Family Psychology. The research involved exactly 395 families that had more than one kid, at least one of whom was between 10 and 14 years old.

What the researchers did is they gathered information about the dynamic of each family, and then followed up 1 year later.

According to statistical analyses having a sister actually protected adolescents from feeling unloved, guilty, fearful, self-conscious, and lonely. It did not matter whether the sister was older or younger.

Also, it did not matter how far apart they were when it comes to age. But do not take this the wrong way, brothers matter as well.

According to the research, having a sibling of either gender generates good deeds, like watching out for other children at school or helping a neighbor. As a matter of fact, siblings fostered charitable attitudes more in comparison to the parent.

The link between good deeds and sibling affection was actually twice as strong as the relationship between good deeds and parenting.

You see when siblings fight they must learn how to regulate their feelings since this can be a crucial skill for their future. Siblings argue this is the truth, but it’s also true that living with a sibling is less lonely.

Girls in comparison to boys are more communicative and talk more. In case you have a sister, you are more likely to speak with her about life’s issues. And those boys who have sisters can communicate better with women.

Padilla-Walker says that for the parents who have younger children, the message is to encourage the affections of siblings. Once the kids get to adolescence, it is going to be a big protective factor.

Many parents worry about the fighting between siblings. The research says that hostility is linked with a more significant risk of delinquency.

But the lead author says that fights give kids a chance to learn and understand how to regain control of their feelings and makeup.

These are skills that can be helpful when they are older. The lead author says that an absence of affection is the bigger problem in comparison to high levels of conflict.

Do not focus on the minor arguments and hiccups between the siblings, since they are only small bumps in the road.

Those people who are lucky enough to have siblings should remember one thing, and that is that siblings will be with you during your whole life.

So, you must do your best to keep them close and ensure your relationship is strong.