How Having Siblings Can Help Your Marriage

Wondering whether that special someone is a good marital prospect? Check out his siblings or lack of them.

Growing up with brothers and sisters—the more, the better—may reduce the likelihood for a divorce, according to research from The Ohio State University. Having childhood experience dealing with others helps develop skills for negotiating a relationship as an adult, say the researchers, who presented their findings at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association.

But having one or two siblings doesn’t make a significant difference in the potential for divorce. It’s a cumulative effect: Each additional sibling, up to about seven, reduces the likelihood of divorce by another 2 percent, suggests the study.