'One And Done' Families Are More Popular Than Ever. Here's Why That's A Good Thing.

When radical inquire maine if I person immoderate siblings, arsenic soon arsenic I reply “no,” they often presume a batch astir my property conscionable due to the fact that I’m an only child. Lonely, spoiled, selfish and bossy are immoderate of the astir communal lone kid stereotypes that person persisted for years — adjacent though they person been debunked clip and clip again. 

“The stereotype is truthful ingrained successful our nine ... similar ageism, sexism and negatives astir antithetic cultures,” said Susan Newman, a societal scientist and writer of the upcoming publication Just One: The New Science, Secrets & Joy of Parenting an Only Child. “[These stereotypes] get burned into our fabric, and it’s precise hard to get them to spell away. [Even] erstwhile each the subject supports that these myths don’t clasp up.”

In fact, a caller study recovered that increasing up arsenic an lone kid really has affirmative effects connected intelligence health, beingness satisfaction, and different factors. 

Additionally, due to the fact that the single-child household operation is present the fastest-growing household unit successful the United States, there’s nary amended clip to dispel these long-standing myths.

We talked to psychologists astir positive traits of lone children that aren’t well-known — and however overmuch not having siblings truly affects personality.

First of all, wherefore bash these lone kid stereotypes exist?

These person been astir since the precocious 1890s, Newman explained. Early probe highlighted these antagonistic viewpoints astir lone children, but they were aboriginal recovered to beryllium mendacious due to the fact that the studies were flawed.

According to Newman, the “ideal household size” was 2 kids.

“That was the 1950s [way of] reasoning and before,” Newman said. “But past has shown that household size is purely idiosyncratic and that these myths astir lone children bash not basal up to coagulated research.”

Also due to the fact that of respective modern factors, specified arsenic women moving and having kids aboriginal successful life, the outgo of raising kids and kid care, and clime change, much and much radical are choosing to person conscionable 1 child, Newman said.

Trait #1: They cognize however to beryllium societal yet are besides comfy with unsocial time. 

Many radical presume “if you grew up without siblings that you volition inevitably go [a] lonely idiosyncratic passim your life,” said Toni Falbo, an acquisition science prof astatine the University of Texas astatine Austin. “And there’s conscionable nary grounds that that’s true.”

While lone children don’t person siblings to bent retired with, they often get to walk much one-on-one clip with their parents, she said. 

Plus, determination are plentifulness of opportunities for kids to socialize from a young age, specified arsenic time care, school, playdates, and extracurricular activities. 

While lone children whitethorn person much unsocial clip than kids with siblings, Newman said, parents don’t request to presumption this arsenic a negative. 

“Alone clip is really healthy,” she explained. “It encourages creativity, and it allows children to larn however to capable their clip connected their own.”

For example, they whitethorn journal, signifier a hobby, read, oregon invent their ain stories oregon games, said Ann-Louise Lockhart, pediatric psychologist, genitor coach, and proprietor of A New Day Pediatric Psychology.

“While galore radical conflict with being alone, lone children thin to spot solitude arsenic an accidental for reflection, rest, oregon productivity,” she said. 

Trait #2: They are incredibly loyal successful their relationships. 

People whitethorn deliberation that lone children “lean connected their parents for everything, and that’s not the case,” Newman said. “Only children are exceedingly independent.”

Because they don’t person siblings, they apt person much opportunities to problem-solve by themselves and go much self-reliant, Lockhart explained. 

“As a child, [they] mightiness beryllium comfy playing independently for agelong periods … [and] arsenic an adult, they whitethorn confidently program solo trips, commencement businesses oregon tackle caller skills without needing outer validation,” she said.

Trait #4: They larn precocious connection skills aboriginal on.

Only children thin to walk a batch of clip with their parents, truthful they go utilized to relating to adults from a young age. 

Parents “don’t dumb down their conversations arsenic overmuch arsenic they would talking to a batch of children each astatine once,” Falbo added. “The vocabulary acquisition and usage of assorted linguistic skills becomes modeled, practiced, and encouraged successful one-child households.”

Singletons whitethorn consciousness conscionable arsenic comfy talking to teachers and different grown-ups successful their lives arsenic they bash to their peers, Lockhart explained.

“Later successful life, this tin construe into beardown enactment abilities, nationalist speaking skills, oregon easiness successful nonrecreational environments,” she said. 

Trait #5: They’re unfastened to caller ideas and experiences. 

In a January 2025 study, lone children reportedly showed much openness than children with siblings. In different words, they whitethorn beryllium much consenting to effort retired thing new, Falbo said.

So wherefore bash they thin to person this trait? Parents of lone children often person much clip and don’t person to beryllium arsenic prohibitive erstwhile they person 1 child, she said.

“If you person nary siblings, [you] whitethorn beryllium capable to research a small spot more, propulsion a fewer boundaries,” Falbo said, “because parents aren’t arsenic stressed astir trying to power a ample radical of kids.”

Trait #6: They’re much akin to different kids than a batch of radical think.