{"id":7721,"date":"2015-11-27T07:00:20","date_gmt":"2015-11-27T12:00:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=7721"},"modified":"2015-11-20T14:14:41","modified_gmt":"2015-11-20T19:14:41","slug":"siblings-help-or-hurt-romantic-relationships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/11\/siblings-help-or-hurt-romantic-relationships.html","title":{"rendered":"Siblings: Help or Hurt Romantic Relationships?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"ID-10046809-2\"<\/a>I’ve\u00a0heard my daughter say that having a brother has helped her understand men. She feels comfortable being around men her age, in part, due to being raised with a brother.<\/p>\n

We know from previous research that having opposite sex siblings helps you feel more socially<\/em> competent with peers. But what about romantic relationships? Does having opposite sex siblings also make you feel more competent in romance?<\/p>\n

Researchers at\u00a0Penn State University decided to study this question. They enlisted 190 families over a five-year period to follow and study. They wanted to know–does having opposite sex siblings help or hurt romantic relationships, or does it even make a difference?<\/p>\n

Apparently the answer is YES. The teens and young adults\u00a0who had opposite sex siblings felt their siblings\u00a0helped their social development in terms of feeling competent in romantic relationships. And those teens and young people with same sex siblings did not indicate a change (increase) in their romantic competencies. However, the\u00a0results only indicate that a person perceives<\/em> him or herself to be more competent in romantic relationships. Whether they actually are more romantically competent could be studied as well.<\/p>\n

It only makes sense–sharing bathrooms, dealing with conflict, working through differences with an opposite sex sibling can only help you feel better prepared for romantic partners of the opposite sex.<\/p>\n

Ok so I guess it is time for a\u00a0big thanks \u00a0to my brothers–you helped boost my confidence for romance even though it didn’t feel like that at the time!!!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I’ve\u00a0heard my daughter say that having a brother has helped her understand men. She feels comfortable being around men her age, in part, due to being raised with a brother. We know from previous research that having opposite sex siblings helps you feel more socially competent with peers. But what about romantic relationships? Does having…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":419,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[914,917],"tags":[3440,65,644,1399],"class_list":["post-7721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-family-relationships-2","category-friend-relationships","tag-bothers-and-sisters","tag-families","tag-family-relationships","tag-siblings"],"yoast_head":"\nSiblings: Help or Hurt Romantic Relationships?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2015\/11\/siblings-help-or-hurt-romantic-relationships.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Siblings: Help or Hurt Romantic Relationships?\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I’ve\u00a0heard my daughter say that having a brother has helped her understand men. She feels comfortable being around men her age, in part, due to being raised with a brother. We know from previous research that having opposite sex siblings helps you feel more socially competent with peers. But what about romantic relationships? 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Her media experience includes seven years as the resident expert for ABC Family\u2019s Living the Life television show and regular appearances on network television and radio. It is often said that being with Dr. Linda is like having coffee with a friend. She makes the complicated issues of relationships and mental health easy to understand and applicable to everyday living. The ease she has with people, coupled with her clinical training and experience makes her a sought-after speaker on college campuses, conferences and special events. Whether she is doing a TV skit with Tim Conway or discussing teen violence with Queen Latifa, Dr. Linda will entertain, educate and integrate faith and mental health in everyday living. 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