Birth Order: So nice, we did it twice

# Stuff You Should Know: Birth Order (Take Two)

This episode takes a fascinating dive into the science of birth order — why we think firstborns are natural leaders, middle children are peacemakers, and youngest siblings are adventurous rebels. Josh and Chuck trace the concept from Victorian-era researcher Francis Galton through influential psychologist Alfred Adler, who developed groundbreaking theories about how your position in the family shapes your personality and life strategy. They explore how these ideas became pop psychology gospel, survived a major scientific takedown in the 1980s, and got a surprising rehabilitation by researcher Frank Sulloway, who argues birth order is actually a proxy for real family dynamics like physical power and status struggles. Fair warning: the hosts grapple with how well this theory actually holds up under scrutiny, especially when you start examining famous historical figures through this lens.