The Atlantic

Why First-Born Children Are Better Leaders

The short answer: They have a lot of practice bossing around their younger siblings.
Source: Brian Snyder / Reuters

The concept of a “born leader” seems so fanciful and clichéd that it belongs on the cover of a bad business book, or in a quote from a glib cable news commentator. But it turns out that born leaders are real, and researchers have discovered a key variable that isn’t genes, parents, or peers. It’s birth order.

First-born children are 30 percent more likely to be CEOs or politicians, according to a by several economists, Sandra E.

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