Not to concern any middle-children reading this, but it’s hard to argue with solid science. Siblings truly do impact your mental health and your character for the better. In fact, their impact on your mental health is even stronger than that of your parents.

Of course there’s probably those of you with siblings reading this right now going “Haha, AS IF“, but trust us, we don’t joke.

This study comes straight from Brigham Young University (BYU), and with three authors and peer-review, it’s hard to argue with their results. Using the ever-reliable method of statistics, James M. Harper, Laura M. Padilla-Walker, and Alexander C. Jensen sampled over three hundred families for their study (395, to be exact).

We don’t know how many families you’re thinking of that you can use to argue otherwise, but we’re guessing definitely less than 300.

“Because siblings spend more time interacting with each other than they do with their parents during adolescence (Larson & Richards, 1994), sibling relationships may be key for the practice and development of emotional and prosocial skills, as well as conflict resolution” – Harper, Padilla-Walker, and Jensen

This may not surprise some of you. We’re certain a lot of you have had an older sister or brother who played a huge role in your growing years. In fact, many people even point to their older siblings as the most influential characters in their lives.

They’re the first to go through high school and college, date people, or get a job. Whatever it is, your older sibling will probably experience it before you do, making them the perfect people to show you the ropes. They may even be the first to become parents, as many reading this can attest.

One of the things that stood out, was the (not so) peculiar impact of sisters in particular. They mention this can be attributed to how girls are socially conditioned to be more caregiving, and higher levels of communication too are found in sisters.

Sibling relationships typically are also not based on a hierarchy, like with parents. Your siblings aren’t the boss of you, nor are they your parents. They’re your peers.

In fact, it’s not unusual to hear some people say that their siblings are their best friends. Some people may not even need a scientific study to prove that. It’s probably no coincidence either that girls call each other “sisters” when they feel close.

Lack of affection even seems to be more of a negative than occasionally fighting with your sibling, as long as it’s not a toxic or abusive relationship, of course.

“An absence of affection seems to be a bigger problem than high levels of conflict,” according to Padilla-Walker

In other words, having a bit of sibling rivalry is still better than not having a sibling at all.

It’s even hard to stress how big a role sisters play. Many of you who consider yourselves open and approachable probably have your sisters to thank for teaching you.

This isn’t to take-away from the importance of brothers as well, though. The study’s results matter, regardless of the sibling’s gender.

You’re getting the benefits of more care, empathy, and kindness no matter if they’re your brother or your sister. With such a big sample for their study, science makes it really clear. Siblings play an irreplaceable role in your adolescent life, and many of you may have turned out differently if it weren’t for your siblings.

Give them some of your gratitude by sharing this article. Maybe other people can show this to their siblings too!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Laura Padilla Walker, James Harper and Alexander Jensen PhD. Brigham Young University (BYU)