Alternative Health Blog

Oh, brother. A new study from British researchers makes a strong case for sisters as the siblings who most influence a family’s happiness. Nearly 600 young people between 17 to 25 were interviewed to help determine sisters lead a family to be more open about their emotions and feelings.

Plus, the female influence was particularly effective in families facing emotional upheaval, such as divorce or death of a parent.

On the flip side, lead researcher Tony Cassidy, a psychology professor at the University of Ulster, reports that brothers “seem to have an alternative effect.”

The study confirms previous work that shows boys tend to internalize their feelings more than girls. The Ulster research suggests that the more brothers/sons in the family, the greater the possibility for communication breakdowns and stress.

It’s not exactly an endorsement for boys or men, but it is important to remember that studies indicate statistical significance. It is fact that families with more sisters/daughters prosper on an emotional level in healthier ways than families with more brothers/sons. But that doesn’t mean every family trends that direction—or that all brothers bottle up their feelings.

Some interesting follow-up question emerge from this findings: Would a single mother with boys tend to create a family more open about feelings than a single-dad family with daughters? Is it possible that British brothers/sons are culturally less open about their feelings than say, American males or Greek males? Can researchers make a distinction between families where the parents have a more open relationship (maybe by determining if the wife is more aggressive in family matters) compared to inhibited relationship in which the husband controls emotional currency in the household?

A revealing factor is that the subjects interviewed about their positive attitude and happiness levels (using standardized measurement tools for such qualities) are all most decidedly new generation. There is no rationalizing that today’s soon-to-be adult males will be more open than the generations of men who came before them.

At least in Great Britain.

Bob Condor blogs for Alternative Health Journal every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.