Talk about brotherly love. Each additional sibling you have reduces your chance of divorce by 2 percent, says new Ohio State research.
Sure, that’s a pretty small drop, but here’s why it helps: You learn to negotiate conflict and coexist with brothers and sisters—in good and bad times—at an early age, says study coauthor Donna Bobbitt-Zeher, Ph.D. And the more kids in your family, the more chances you have to practice those skills throughout life. “Each one brings a little bit of protection,” Bobbitt-Zeher adds.
Reaping the benefits from your siblings isn’t hard; all you need to do is chat with them. Conversations with kin can keep you from feeling depressed or isolated (two factors that can contribute to divorce), recent BYU research found. Only child? Building close relationships with other people (besides your spouse) could develop similar sibling-like bonds that help make a marriage work, Bobbitt-Zeher says.
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