Imagine that the only one in the house when the holiday season rolls around, without a brother to share joy (or chaos), just you and gifts. Sounds nice, huh? But according to the new study, the growth without siblings can have a greater impact on you than you think.
Discussion about growing up without siblings
A recent study by researchers of the Tianjin Medical University General Hospital and other Chinese institutes published in human behavior aimed at studying how to be the only child affects brain development and adulthood behavior. The study revealed certain patterns in brain activity and behavior that are common among adults who grew up without siblings.
“With the growth of only children-children around the world, it is important to understand the impact of growing up without siblings (GWS) on adult brain development, behavior and basic ways,” wrote Jo Tan, Jing Zhan and their colleagues in their work.
Understanding the study
“Using the chimpons cohort, we have considered the connection between the HRS and various factors, including the structure of the adult, function, connection, knowledge, personality and mental health. We also investigated the path from GVS to related growth environments, brain development and behavior, studying 2397 pairs.
Researchers have analyzed data from the Chinese Genetics Research (Chimgen) conducted in 32 centers in China. Participants were paired with a child alone and one person with siblings who were in the demographic. Comparing the brains and behavior of these couples, they found noticeable patterns only in children, such as differences in the integrity of the white matter, brain volume, neurons, memory, mental health and various behaviors such as cognitive and individual trends.
Enforced environment on brain development
The study found that growing up without siblings (GWS) was associated with specific differences in the brain, such as the higher integrity of the language, less integrity of the motor fibers, a larger volume of the cerebellum, a smaller brain volume and a decrease in fancy -brain activity. Interestingly, contrary to common stereotypes, GWS was positively related to neuronal and mental health.
Researchers have noted that while the HRS directly affects the brain and behavior, many of these effects are determined by the environment, such as socio -economic status, mother care and family support. This suggests that interventions aimed at enriching experience only children can potentially improve their brain function, mental health and adult behavior.
Statistics show that the size of the family is becoming smaller in many countries, and more and more parents choose, intentionally or not, have only one child. Although many psychological studies have studied differences between people with brothers and sisters, and the impact of growing up without siblings on the brain and behavior remains studied until the end.
