Don't be jealous if you have a smart older sibling.

There’s a BIG reason you should be thanking them.

If your older sibling it seriously smart, it can be hard not to give into that pang our jealousy. Except now there’s good news.

You don’t have to let it cut you up inside any longer.

Because a new study has found that chances are, if you grew up with an intelligent sibling, you have benefited massively from their braininess.

If your older sibling did well in school, it’s very likely that it had a spillover effect towards you.

Researchers at The University of Essex and University of York investigated this “sibling spillover” effect by studying primary school test results and GCSE schools.

Their findings showed that having a smart older brother or sister who does well in school actually lifted a child’s learning. This was equivalent to spending an extra $1,375 on the younger sibling’s schooling.

This is thought to be because older siblings play a big role in educating their younger brothers and sisters, especially when they help them with study or if the younger sibling aspires to be like them.

Also when the older sibling does well at school, it encourages the younger siblings to lift up their game and work that much harder.

One of the study’s authors Birgitta Rabe explained that: “The older sibling’s achievement may have a direct effect on the younger sibling’s school grades if the older sibling teaches the younger sibling or helps with homework; the younger sibling imitates the older sibling, for example in their work style, or conversely tries to be different, for example to avoid competition the older sibling passes on important information about educational choices or school and teachers to the younger sibling.”

“We find that the spillover effect is larger for siblings in families eligible for free school meals, living in deprived neighbourhoods and speaking a language other than English at home, this means that children from more deprived backgrounds benefit more from a high attaining older sibling than children from more affluent backgrounds,” she continued.

Now go and rub that data into your younger siblings’ faces. We know you want to.

Do you think the findings of the study ring true?

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