Looking for True Love? Consider Birth Order, Says Author
Feb. 11, 2011— -- "Fun-loving, raven-haired beauty who loves good food and good wine looking for a guy with a great sense of humor who loves the outdoors. Last-borns only."
If author Linda Blair is right, anyone looking for a compatible romantic partner will consider another important trait in addition to a sense of humor, sensitivity and a nice career: birth order.
In her new book, "Birth Order: What Your Position in the Family Really Tells You About Your Character," author and psychologist Blair says whether a person is a first-born, a second-born, lower down or a last-born can say a lot about a personality and in turn, can help determine whether two people are a suitable match.
"Each of these birth-order positions has specific characteristics. Not only are they likely to apply to your new boyfriend, but they also apply to you," Blair wrote in a book excerpt published in the British newspaper the Daily Mail.
As an example, Blair says that two first-borns could make a volatile partnership.
"Among the most difficult partnerships are those between two first-borns. If you're both highly competitive, conflict is very likely when both of you want to be in charge," Blair writes.
Other psychologists aren't so sure about how much of a role birth order should play in finding a life partner, and some even say that birth order doesn't play much of a role at all in who a person becomes. Other mitigating factors are more important.
There have been a number of studies that looked at the role of birth order on intelligence and social traits. Some studies found that first-born children tended to be more intelligent than later-borns, while other studies found no relationship at all. Other research showed first-born children accepted more responsibility and are more self-confident. Birth order research goes back centuries.
"Starting in the 1800s, people started to assume that birth order is really important," said Toni Falbo, a professor of educational psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. "Sometimes the beliefs were built upon historical customs at the time. For example, in England, first-born sons inherited everything and everyone else got nothing."
