As an only child I've never been jealous of people with siblings. I've never really seen what the advantage is of having someone else around in your family, just there, constantly, unable to shake them, no choice in the matter!
Sibling bickering can have a profound impact. According to one recent study if your sibling stresses you out, it can actually speed up how fast you age, physically.
The Hidden Cost of “Hasslers”
There’s a term for people who constantly stress us out in small ways: “hasslers.” These are the one who keep nitpicking, dropping passive-aggressive comments, or always seem to be hard work emotionally.
If you're sibling is a hassler this can pile on about nine additional months of aging inside your body. Stress builds up over time and leaves its mark. Researchers even have a term for it: “allostatic load,” which is just the body’s wear and tear from ongoing stress.
However spouses who stress you out don’t seem to leave the same mark. Maybe that’s because we choose partners—and we can choose to walk away or change things. Siblings? You’re pretty much stuck, no matter what.
A Bigger Pattern
Unfortunately this isn't just about siblings winding each other up, it's about wider patterns of social disadvantage - if you're from a poorer background, there's more money stress, and siblings feel this more...
When you’re crowded together, short on cash, or always hustling to get by, tensions run high. The stress between siblings just becomes part of a bigger web connecting disadvantage and poor health.
Psychologists have said for years that chronic stress leads to all kinds of health problems—heart issues, getting sick easier, you name it. The sibling effect fits into this larger pattern.
Final Thoughts
This is a fascinating little study of how close relationships affect life expectancy in quite a drastic way...
I would like to find out more about how they operationalised their concepts....