Allowing for at least two years of age difference between siblings can help boost the older child’s intelligence, according to a new study published in the Journal of Human Resources.
Researchers at the University of Notre Dame looked at data from about 3,000 women who had given birth to 5,000 pairs of siblings. Using math and reading tests, the researchers found that older siblings scored higher for each year that spaced them from a sibling. When it came to the younger child, age difference didn’t seem to have any effect.
This is due to the elder sibling benefitting from more parental attention before the younger child comes along, the researchers hypothesize. Older children with a sibling closer to them in age spend more time watching television between the ages of three and five, and are read to less often than those who enjoy two or more years of undivided attention.
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