If you are of a certain age or watched a lot of reruns on the Nickelodeon TV Channel then you know the plight of one Jan Brady. Jan, of the Brady Bunch, was the poster child for middle child syndrome. I never thought this was really a thing. Of course I am the baby of my family so I could really give a rodent's rear end about how difficult life has been for my older siblings. After all, I am the baby, pander to me.

It turns out the birth order really does play a larger part in our lives than we might realize. The oldest sibling has their own set of issues to deal with as does the baby. The most difficult position though has got to be that of the middle child.

A recent report showed that even in the world of online dating the oldest sibling can expect a success rate for meeting a potential match to be 7% to 10% higher than the average success rate.

Meanwhile the much-maligned middle child will see results that are consistently 5%-7% lower than the average success rate. Why is that so? Researchers believe it's because of the middle child's unconventional approach to life. Being a middle child means having to work in the shadow of the oldest and missing out on the limelight of being the youngest.

Try this the next time you meet a potential suitor online or in person. Ask them about their siblings. If they are the oldest they will exhibit self-confidence. If they are the youngest they will likely be more needy. If they are the middle child it could be a rather interesting ride to say the  least.

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