Being the firstborn in a family has a lot of advantages.
Oldest siblings tend to have higher educational achievement and lifetime earnings than their younger siblings. A new study shows that germs play a big role in how younger siblings fare.
“Germs in the Family: The Short- and Long-Term Consequences of Intrahousehold Disease Spread” was published in the American Economic Review.
Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks with N. Meltem Daysal, co-author of the study, about what it shows about illness and childhood and its effects on younger children.
This article was originally published on WBUR.org.
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