Hey folks, I'm Laci Green, and this is DNews.

大家好，我是 Laci Green，歡迎收看 DNews。

Birth order, that's kind of a thing in the world of psychology.

出生順序在心理學界還真的是一回事呢。

It's a popular and well-supported theory that claims that the order we're born in has some effect on our personalities.

出生順序對我們的個性多少有影響是個普遍的理論，也有足夠線索支持。

If you haven't watched Trace's DNews episode on the birth or birth order psychology, you definitely should.

如果你還沒看過 Trace 在 DNews 上關於誕生或出生順序心理學的節目，你一定要去看看。

So here's the basic rundown of what scientists have found in decades past.

以下跟大家報告科學家在過去數十年的發現。

Youngest tends to be more fun-loving, uncomplicated, outgoing, and they're highly agreeable.

老么通常比較愛玩、單純、外向而且很隨和。

You know, easy to get along with.

就是很好相處。

But they also tend to be a little attention-seeking, self-centered, and rebellious.

但他們也可能比較愛尋求注意力、自我中心，以及叛逆。

Not far from what you might expect of the baby of the family.

跟你對於家中小寶貝的預期相去不遠。

Middle child has a lot of friends; they tend to be pretty social and great team players.

排行中間的孩子有很多朋友，他們的社交手腕不錯，也很擅長團隊合作。

But they also have some insecurities about not measuring up,

但是他們也會有無法滿足他人預期的不安感，

possibly because of their overachieving older sibling,

可能是因為活在出類拔萃的老大陰影下，

which then translates into peacemaking behavior and the desire to please everyone.

最後導致他們養成和事佬的個性以及想要討好所有人的渴望。

And then there is the firstborns.

接著就是家中老大啦。

Reliable, structured, conscientious.

可靠、有條理、認真。

Firstborns tend to be the best in school.

老大在學校表現通常是最好的。

They're more likely to be leaders, overachievers, and they're often mature for their age.

他們最有可能成為領袖、成就非凡，並且通常比較超齡。

FYI, only children have a lot of overlap with the firstborns.

給各位參考，獨生子女跟排行老大有不少重複的特質。

So, my family has 3 kids, and though it's just anecdotal, these descriptions match us to a tee.

我們家有 3 個小孩，雖然這只是軼事，但這些描述完美地符合我們 3 個人的特質。

Seriously, guys, it's kind of weird.

我說真的，這有點詭異。

For years, scientists have been asking: Why?

多年來，科學家一直在尋找原因。

Why do these behavioral patterns keep occurring with this freaky consistency?

這些行為模式為什麼會一直這麼詭異地持續發生？

This week, a new study was put forth that might account for at least some of it.

一項本週公布的新研究結果可能至少可以解釋部分現象。

Researchers at Duke have found that some of these personality traits are related to the fact that parents behave differently with each additional child.

杜克大學的研究人員發現，有些人格特質跟父母對待每個新生兒的態度差異有關。

With the oldest, parents in the study reported much more stringent, disciplinary measures.

對於家中老大，研究報告中的父母都是以較嚴格、有紀律的方式教導。

The eldest children were allowed less time for TV and video games, and they were more likely to face punishment than middle and youngest children for bringing home a bad grade.

老大被允許看電視和玩電玩的時間最少，拿到壞成績而受罰的機會也比弟、妹高。

The second and third child were let off a little easier, which, to be honest, kind of annoying.

家裡老二、老三就比較容易被放過一馬，說實話，這還滿惱人的。

I can't believe some of the crap my little brother, who's the youngest, gets away with, that never would have gone down when I lived at home.

我不敢相信我排行第三的弟弟被饒恕的一堆壞事，那都是我住在家裡時絕對不能有的行為。

The researchers believe that this popular parenting pattern is an attempt at establishing a tough-love reputation with the oldest, in order to deter bad behavior from the other kids.

研究人員認為這種極為普遍的管教模式，是父母企圖用嚴教體現愛的模式教育第一個孩子，藉以制止其他孩子的不良影響。

It's an approach that's referred to as the "reputation model" of strategic parenting, but what this reputation model really does, is turn us oldest kids into neurotic freaks who have high anxiety about doing everything right.

這個方法被稱為「聲譽模型」的戰略式教育，但是它真正做的是，讓我們這些長子女都變成神經質的怪胎，有追求完美的焦慮感。

Okay, maybe that's a little exaggeration,

好吧，我有點誇大了，

but it is true that the eldest then goes on to have more success academically and career-wise.

但那是真的，家中老大的學術和事業成就都會比較高。

What's interesting here is that this is not necessarily a genetic thing.

有趣的是，這不見得跟基因有關。

The data suggests that we are molded this way.

數據顯示我們都是這麼被塑造的。

Now, of course there's much to the story of how you became you, and how your siblings became the adorably lovable little brats that they are, but this is one piece of the pie.

好了，當然，你如何成為你、你的手足如何變成那被寵壞的小可愛，還有許多待說明的原因，不過這是其中一個答案。

Do you think your parents went harder on the oldest, easier on the youngest?

你覺得你的父母對家中老大最嚴格、對老么最寬容嗎？

Tell me all the dirt down below, and we'll catch you next time with more DNews updates.

在下方留言區跟我說說你的家中醜事吧！我們下次在 DNews 再見。