Dr Emma Farrell

Yeah, it's a bit of both.

Yeah, but the degree to which it's nature or the degree to which it's nurture is one of those things that we continue to debate.

Yeah, and I think while it's true that birth order doesn't shape our personality into adulthood, I don't want to undermine the importance and the influence of things like family dynamics.

the responsibilities and roles different siblings take in families and shaping how we think and feel and respond.

So while birth order does shape our experience, it doesn't seem to have any lasting effect on our personality.

Well, it's one of those really strong examples of how storylines shape the different roles we take in our families and in our society.

So it is a really interesting example of how these things can become a combination of, yes, older children might be asked to be a little bit more responsible and cautious, but also it does become potentially a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy too.