GettyHaving a sister is sometimes like living with a bomb that always has the potential to go off at any given notice.
Now don’t get me wrong, growing up with a sister can be fun as you can go on shopping trips together, practice doing each other’s makeup and if you ever need a girly chat, you can always go to her for advice.
For guys sisters are great when it comes to dating advice and trying to find that perfect present for the special person in your life, normally their mother. It also has a potential
However, they can also be frustrating and so, so annoying, especially when they are cheating during that Christmas game of Monopoly.
A study has revealed you should be more grateful to have a sister and forgiving of her flaws despite how irritating she is, however.
That’s because a research team at De Montfort University in Leicester and Ulster University discovered that having a sister overall makes you happier and more optimistic.
NickelodeonYes you heard that right, according to psychologists having at least one girl in the family does wonders for your emotional wellbeing.
By interviewing 571 people aged between 17 and 25, the researchers discovered people with sisters were more likely to have a balanced lifestyle.
Sisters were also proven to draw families closer together as they encourage people to talk about their emotions.
Professor Tony Cassidy, from the University of Ulster, told The Telegraph those with sisters often have good mental health.
He said:
Sisters appear to encourage more open communication and cohesion in families.
However, brothers seem to have the alternative effect. Emotional expression is fundamental to good psychological health and having sisters promotes this in families.
It could be that boys have a natural tendency not to talk about things. With boys together it is about a conspiracy of silence not to talk. Girls tend to break that down.
During the research the lowest scores were achieved by men who had only brothers with girls with sisters achieving the highest.
They tended to be more ambitious and independent according to the findings.
When the interviewees came from broken homes the effects were stronger implying that the sisters supported each other during their parents divorce.
Siblingless children who were questioned scored in the middle range for happiness and optimism .
Liz Wright, the co-author of the study, added:
With only children we found that they had lots of strong communication outside of the home.
It appears that they have as much social support as those with siblings, but it does not come from within the family.
If they had interviewed me about my sister, they would have got some very different results.
