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If you're happy and optimistic there's a good chance you have a sister
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Poster for Little Women (1933), RKO Radio Pictures.
My favorite version of the movie.
"I shall never love anyone as I love my sisters," Jo March in Little Women.
Little Women remains one of my favorite books even after all these years. The close relationship the four March girls had always reminded me of my own sisters, including the "sisterly" fights. The story tells of a family facing adversity together and coming out victorious even through the death of one of the sisters.
Sisters have a special relationship--it's loving and competitive at the same time. Yet, my sisters are people to whom I can talk about anything. There are also five brothers in our family, and I love them passionately, but with them it's more about joking rather than talking about emotions.
Researchers from the De Montfort University in Leicester have found that having a sister helps promote good mental health. The reason for this is that girls tend to be more emotionally expressive and this helps tie a family together. Sisters encourage more open communication.
According to Prof. Tony Cassidy from the University of Ulster, "...brothers seem to have the alternative effect."
The research studied 571 youth and young adults between 17 and 25. They asked about both their family composition and emotional wellbeing. Those who had sisters ended up scoring high in optimism and happiness, and only children tended to scrore in the middle.
I've told my siblings all along that boys have cooties. Maybe I'm wrong. But I'm definitely showing this research to them, and will see their response.
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