The Science of Siblings

This is a very interesting article on your siblings impact on who you become. My brothers and I have said for a long time that my sister Susan wouldn't have turned out nearly as well if it weren't for the kind and loving feedback (constant teasing and telling her to stop whining all of the time) of her older brothers. My brother Dan feels that he is completely responsible for the way all of us turned out:

"Siblings have a socializing effect on one another," says psychologist Daniel Shaw of the University of Pittsburgh. "When you tease out all the other variables, it's the play styles that make the difference. Unlike a relationship with friends, you're stuck with your sibs. You learn to negotiate things day to day." It's that permanence, researchers believe, that makes siblings so valuable a rehearsal tool for later life.

You can read the summary here or the full article here.