A new study claims that a person's birth order could significantly impact his/her career paths. A middle-born child, for instance, is said to be more likely to become a CEO.
According to the Daily Mail, a team of statisticians commissioned by Disney randomly selected over 500 of the most successful individuals from 11 different career groups to identify statistically significant patterns. The study was led by TV psychologist Emma Kenny who is based in London and Manchester.
The result showed that first-borns are statistically more likely to become rock musicians, reality TV stars, and astronauts. Scientist Stephen Hawking and rock star Mick Jagger are eldest children.
Middle children, on the other hand, have a 30 percent chance of becoming Olympic athletes and are 41 percent more likely to become CEOs. The study explained that this is so because middle children are used to fighting for attention to get what they want.
Examples of famous middle children are Microsoft genius Bill Gates, political giants UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, and American President Abraham Lincoln.
The youngest born, meanwhile, are found to be more inclined to classical music with a 50 percent chance or as explorers with 42 percent probability.
Interestingly, those growing up as an only child were found to be 181 percent more likely to pursue a career as an artist as attributed to their perfectionist and mature personality traits.
The researchers are aiming to show the positive differences between siblings as well as the strong and lasting influence they have on each other.
"The research conducted over the last month has shown that birth order is a significant factor in determining employment role types between siblings - overall there are far more typical cases than exceptions," said Kenny.
A similar study was also conducted in 2008 by CNN in partnership with CareerBuilder.com. It found that based on personality traits, first-borns are more likely to pursue vocations that require higher education, like medicine, engineering or law while middle children tend to have excellent negotiating and people skills.
Youngest children, it said, often gravitate toward artistic and outdoor jobs. They're also successful in journalism, advertising, sales, and athletics.