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HIGH LIFE : First-Borns Likely to Be Spoiled Brats, New Study Shows

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First-borns have long enjoyed reputations as leaders, but a new study suggests they are also likely to grow up to be spoiled brats.

Charles E. Joubert, a professor of psychology at the University of North Alabama who studied 29 first-borns, 33 middle-borns and 43 last-borns, found that first-borns scored higher on a narcissism test. The test measured such attributes as self-absorption, lack of empathy and a grandiose sense of self-importance. Sex was a factor too. First-born men scored higher than first-born women.

Parental pampering may be to blame for first-borns’ narcissism. “For a few years, they are often the little kings or queens of the house,” Joubert says. “They could grow up with the idea that the world revolves around them.”

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Although other researchers have suggested a link between being born first in the family and a lack of empathy, UCLA psychologist Frederick Frankel thinks calling first-borns narcissistic is taking it too far. “Narcissism implies a pathological condition,” he says. First-borns may tend to be self-centered, he says, “but it doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t be sympathetic. Being self-centered is a quality, I think, necessary for leadership.”

Nonetheless, what is the best way to deal with a spouse or friend who displays narcissistic qualities? “Point out that others have needs and demands too,” Joubert says. “In some cases, it might be a real revelation to them, and they won’t take offense.”

For the record, Frankel and Joubert are both first-borns.

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