Do Siblings Make Us Happy?

B-Tier
Journal: Economic Development & Cultural Change
Year: 2018
Volume: 66
Issue: 4
Pages: 827 - 840

Score contribution per author:

1.005 = (α=2.01 / 2 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

This paper examines the sibling effect on individuals' happiness. To identify the effect, we explore random gender assignment of siblings, conditional on the number of siblings, among urban residents born before the One Child Policy (1979) in China. We find that having more brothers significantly increases individuals' happiness. Specifically, having one more brother rather than one sister increases one's self-reported happiness by 0.038 on a 1- to 5-point scale. The brothers effect is particularly significant among low-income and unstable-income individuals. These results are consistent with findings in early literature, suggesting that brothers provide each other with financial support in case of need.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:ecdecc:doi:10.1086/697431
Journal Field
Development
Author Count
2
Added to Database
2026-01-29