India, Jan. 27 -- A recent study has settled the long-standing debate about whether birth order shapes personality, with intriguing findings about middle children. Known as the "longest-suffering" siblings, middle children have long been associated with feeling overlooked or neglected, caught between the assertive firstborns and the pampered youngest. But according to this new research, they might just be the "better" ones. This theory, first proposed over a century ago by pioneering Austrian psychologist Albert Adler, continues to spark discussion among psychologists and laypeople alike, fuelling a debate that shows no sign of fading.

While the scientific community has yet to reach consensus, popular stereotypes have persisted. Firstbor...