Part 4/8:
Sulloway's research provides compelling evidence for his theory. He examined 28 of the most radical scientific innovations in history and found that 23 of these groundbreaking ideas were championed by lastborn children. In stark contrast, firstborns tended to uphold established norms and orthodoxy. This pattern suggests that later-borns, through their evolutionary adaptations to a competitive sibling environment, are more inclined toward innovativeness and nonconformity.
This nexus between openness—one of the key traits in the Big Five personality model—and birth order raises intriguing questions about the origins of creativity and rebellion, particularly among those with fewer inhibiting influences from older siblings.