Younger children are funnier than their older siblings

The urge to compete with older sibilings for parental approval has a unusual benefit for younger children – they're much more likely to be funnier than their brothers and sisters. A survey has discovered that over half of younger children found it easy to be funny, compared to just a third of first-born kids.

'The youngest has to compete for parental attention, so they have to be a bit more unconventional,' explained psychologist Richard Wiseman who created the report. 'They are risk-takers, and also more humorous. On the other hand, older children tend to take on much more serious roles. And only children don't feel the need to compete for attention.'

If you don't believe Prof Wiseman, then consider the evidence – the following are all younger siblings:

Dawn French
Ricky Gervais
Rowan Atkinson
Robin Williams
Billy Crystal

Or, alternatively, you could use the following first-born funny people as equal proof that first-borns are funnier!

Peter Cook
Meera Syal
Vic Reeves
Eric Morecambe
Chris Rock

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