According to a new study.
“Contrary to the stereotypical impression of associations between (only children) and problematic behaviors, we have found positive correlations … with neurocognition and mental health,” wrote researchers in a report published this week in the Nature Human Behavior Journal.
A team of scientists in China has used methods, including brain imagery, behavioral assessments and questionnaires of socio -economic and child trauma to assess a group of 7,186 people aged 18 to 30, including children and those who have brothers and sisters.
The MRI of the participants’ brain were made to compare their Gray and white matterThe responsible fabrics, reasoning and helping the body to process signals.
They revealed that being a only child was linked to better mental health, memory and “superior linguistic capacity”, the team noted.
Other evaluations carried out by the team, which included Jie Tang, Jing Zhang and Wei Li, revealed that only children showed higher “life satisfaction” and were more open and creative.
They turned out to be less impulsive and Dependent rewardwhich is linked to the approval of others.
“More economic resources coupled with the availability of increased parents, attention and responsiveness can provide a solid basis for intellectual competence (only children), psychological well-being and mature social behavior,” wrote researchers.
These modifiable factors, as well as others such as maternal care and family support, can influence most of the brain and behavioral results for children with or without brothers and sisters, depending on the report.
Their work does not take into account external factors, including interactions with cousins and classmates, which could compensate for not having a brother; And the reasons why families could only have one child, such as economic factors, infertility or late parenthood, they noted.