First child: born to greatness

First borns rule the world, while the youngest child in the family just wants to be noticed, a new study claims.

The report suggests high achievers are almost always the first to be born in their families and tend to be more motivated and determined than their younger brothers and sisters.

Junior members of the household, it says, are mainly motivated by winning praise and attention rather than forging their own paths in life.

Michael Grose, a parenting expert, has analysed the families of high achievers - including astronauts and US presidents. He found that almost all were firstborns. But celebrities also seem to conform to the theory. For example, 35-year-old Kylie Minogue enjoys far more success than sister Dannii, 31.

"Kylie and I are completely black and white, salt and pepper," Dannii said recently. "I say exactly what I think, while Kylie is more reserved."

Older sister Gwyneth Paltrow, who turns 30 tomorrow, has enjoyed a rapid rise to stardom. Her younger brother Jake, 27, is struggling to forge a career as a film producer.

Neil Armstrong, 73, the first man on the moon, has eclipsed the careers of his younger brother and sister, both of whom have "normal" jobs.

Kate Winslet, 27, has journeyed seemingly effortlessly into the A-list since she got her big break in the movie Heavenly Creatures in 1994. Her sister Beth, three years her junior, is also an actress but to date her only significant success was in a BBC adaptation of Minette Walters' novel The Scold's Bridle, which earned her good reviews but little in the way of job offers.

Bill Clinton's younger brother, Roger, 47, was famously involved in a
scandal involving lobbying for presidential pardons, and has failed to live up to his 57-year-old brother's political career.

Australian Mr Grose, who researched the careers of hundreds of siblings, claims that all American astronauts are firstborns, along with about half of US presidents.

Additionally, most surgeons, engineers and lawyers tend to be firstborns.

Dr Alan Slater, a reader in developmental psychology at the University of Exeter, said: "There is a large amount of logic to this. I think, however, that it's not always the case that your career is determined by your birth order. In fact, the changes between siblings are often so slight it really makes no difference."

The Australian research also has advice for the perfect marriage - if your partner is at the opposite end of the birth order, your relationship is far more likely to succeed.