50 Awesome Siblings Who Made The Internet Melt With Wholesome Gestures

Talking about siblings, some mention their rivalry as almost a detriment to the family. But a YouGov poll found that fewer than half of Americans with at least one sibling (46%) say they experienced it growing up. This type of competition is similarly likely among men (47%) and women (46%) with siblings, though middle children (50%) are slightly more likely than the oldest (44%) or youngest (46%) to claim such a dynamic existed for them.

Americans are split on whether sibling rivalries in childhood do more to help (21%) or hurt (25%) their relationships in the long run, while 33% say they do neither.

Corinna Jenkins Tucker, Ph.D., C.F.L.E., is the Director, and Tanya Rouleau Whitworth, Ph.D., is a Research Scientist at the Sibling Aggression and Abuse Research and Advocacy Initiative at the University of New Hampshire. According to them, the three distinct characteristics that make this relationship so special are everyday contact, emotional intensity, and the involuntary nature of the relationship.

"Together, these characteristics create a distinct freedom and familiarity that enables learning important thinking and relationship skills," the academics write. "It is these unique characteristics that also make this relationship different from one with a parent, friend, or romantic partner, and why sibling relationships are so important to people's lives."

Tucker and Whitworth highlight that since most children live with their siblings all or at least part of the time, they get plenty of opportunities to hang out, play games and sports, share mealtimes, and celebrate accomplishments and holidays.

"Some children spend more time with their siblings than with their friends, parents, or by themselves. The extensive time siblings spend together creates a shared history and familiarity not necessarily experienced in other relationships. Time together can create a strong bond," the researchers explain.

However, as we can see from the pictures, siblings can be important sources of love and companionship throughout all stages of life.

"While growing up, frequent contact and a shared history provide siblings with close knowledge of each other's quirks, worries, and joys," Tucker and Whitworth say.

"Unlike friendships, relationships with siblings in childhood and adolescence include less choice about continuing or ending them. If two friends are not getting along, one may decide to move on from the friendship. This is unlikely with siblings, sometimes leaving children feeling 'stuck' with their brother or sister. However, this sometimes-reluctant connection can also provide freedom to explore diverse ways of interacting with another person, like a testing ground with less worry about losing the relationship."