Brothers Keep Sisters From Growing Up Too Fast

August 19, 2010

Sisters can make you happier, and now researchers say brothers can keep you young. Girls with brothers don't grow up as fast as their bro-less peers — and it's not just the protective older brother factor. While older brothers delay the onset of menstruation by nearly a year, having a younger brother will postpone your first sexual experience by more than a year, according to the new Australian study.

So why do brothers have such a powerful impact? The study explains that older male siblings may take up parental resources or cause psychological stress that delays the onset of puberty. And when older sisters have to help take care of their little brothers it delays their behavioral maturation, pushing back the age that they'll lose their virginity.

If you were a late bloomer, did you also happen to have a brother? Do you think he had anything to do with it?

Source: Thinkstock

20 Comments

2 years

I have one sister and two brothers and they are all very overprotective of me and my brothers NEVER allow me to grow up but they all do a very good job at looking after me like my brother Ty NEVER let's me leave the house without my cell phone and my sister and both of my brothers always make sure that I am safe especially my brothers coz my sister is all grown up now and moved out of the house and she does NOT come around much so it is mostly my brothers who overprotective of me but the good thing is my brothers NEVER put their hands on me well NOT necessarily they do give me a pat on the back or put their arm around me but I mean they don't touch me as in my brothers NEVER try do hurt me in anyway shape or form and they go ape shit on people that do hurt me like this one time me and my brothers were at some place I don't remember the place but I had my new Marilyn Manson The High End Of Low t-shirt on and this one guy came up behind me and pushed me down a flight of stairs and said to me that was for me being a fan of Marilyn Manson my brother Ty saw him push me so after I go down Ty goes after this guy coz he started to run so Ty got a hold of him and had him on the ground and then Ty grabbed the guy my the caller of his shirt and said to him DID YOU JUST PUSH MY SISTER DOWN THOSE STAIRS? the guy said ya so what I pushed her coz of the shirt she had on Ty said I DON'T care ok you can hurt me but you NEVER and I mean NEVER hurt my little sister RachelAimee you got it the guy said ok I got it then got up and ran so my brother Ty and my other brother Brandon came up to me I was still on the ground so Brandon picked me up and sat me down in a chair and Ty gave me a pat on the back and said are you ok RachelAimee I said Ty I think I hit my head hard when I fell coz the only part I remeber is some dude pushed me down these stairs and told me it coz I had a Marilyn Manson t-shirt on so Ty sat down next to me and put his arm around me and he said It's ok RachelAimee I got rid of the guy that pushed you I said what did you do to him Ty said I beat the shit out of him because no one hurts my little sister I said Thanks Ty. See told ya my brothers go ape shit on people that hurt me.

2 years

I have 2 older brothers and a older sister and they are all very over protective of me because I am the yougest out of us 4 kids. My older siblings always make sure that I am safe and that nobody did anything to me to make me feel uncomfortable. Like this one time I went to Ozzfest with my dad just me and my dad so that we could see our 2 fav singers Ozzy Osbourne and Marilyn Manson sadly Marilyn was NOT there but Ozzy was anyhow the minute we got home my brothers and sister were right on my back making sure that I was OK while I was at Ozzfest and they were annoying me so I screamed I ALREADY TOLD YOU GUY'S I AM OK NOTHING HAPPENED TO ME WHEN I WAS THERE my brother Ty said ok sorry Emeigh calm down I screamed never tell a girl to calm down that makes us even more upset you see me all upset now it's coz you told me to calm down, then all my siblings said sorry and I said it's ok but I was with dad and they said we know but dad is NOT good at watching after you so we just wanted to make sure that your ok I said what do you mean by that then they said well when you were at Ozzfest were people mean to you and did anybody do anything to you to make you feel uncomfortable I said NO they said well good that was all we wanted to know and did you have a good time I said oh HELL YA they said good very good. Then I said to my sister hi did you feel like coming to visit today because she is grown up and moved out she said ya I came over to make sure your ok and that you had a good time I said yes I am fine and yes I had a good time.

2 years

I have one older sister and 2 older brothers and they are all very protective of me because I am the youngest and I think that is good because if something happens and I feel that I should NOT tell my parents right away I go to my sister and my brothers and they give me advice then I tell mum and dad like this one time I was very nervous and very worried about something I don't remeber what but my sister and my brothers saw me crying in a small extra room in our house know as ( the den) and they all came up to me and said what's the matter but I was so upset I could not talk so they calmed me down and I told them what happened to me and my sister and my brothers gave me some realy good advice on what what to do if the same thing were to happen I am NOT gonna tell you what happened but it made me feel uncomfortable until my older siblings helped me out and my older siblings DO NOT like it when I feel uncomfortable so they have told me that if I have a problem with something and I don't wanna tell mum and dad right then to go to them and they will help me out the best they can.

2 years

Well, i only have sisters and was a very early bloomer! interesting article.

Skeptic52 2 years

I have two younger brothers (1 close in age that I actually grew up with for a long time) and I can say he DEFINITELY caused me to have to grow up way faster than I should have. He was soooo spoiled and became such a BRAT that he caused TONS of trouble. Teachers and police had the phone ringing off the hook. He took up so much of my parents' attention and resources that they were super tough on me. There literally wasn't the time or money left for me to get in trouble or go my own path, so they had ridiculous, perfection expectations of me. They were too busy with him for me, and he ate it up. I eventually got sent to live with a grandparent and grew up and went my own way in life, but there was never time for me to be a kid.

SMRster 2 years

It's funny because for me the opposite is true. I have an older brother and I started my period at the normal age period, but I lost my virginity way late (last year, at age 23). So this study doesn't make any sense to me.

Rjs baby girl 2 years

I have a brother 2 years younger than me and I was not a late bloomer. He is the kind of brother who got along well with my bfs back in the days, especially with one of them. After I broke up with that guy who didn't take it very well, my brother got mad at me for leaving him! It's ok now cuz he gets along very well with my husband and gave him the "brother talk" before the wedding lol!

tidakpedulidengananda 2 years

Have brothers and still had sex relatively young. Ha! But my bros are very protective not pre-relationship, the post-relationship, they won't hesitate to act if the ex was trying to mess with me, but hey, this was high school time. So juvenile anyway

Venus1 2 years

I only have a sister. But when I was a school I sadly had a friend who no boy would with because they were frightened of what her brother would do to them if he found out.

2 years

postmodern is on the dot w/ insanely overprotective of their little sisters. I have two older brothers and they were/are exactly that. I also agree that there must be *some* truth to this.

postmodernsleaze 2 years

Late bloomer here with a younger brother (although not much younger, so we've always been confused as twins)! I'm glad he's younger because I've heard of older brothers being insanely protective of their little sisters and scaring suitors away.

bryseana 2 years

My older brother definitely stressed me out growing up. I wasn't able to leave the house without his approval of what I was wearing. And makeup was out of the question. He was stricter than my dad.

chillchic 2 years

I was a late bloomer and I have a younger brother. I don't see how it can be related since we're only a year apart and I didn't need to take care of him.

GlowingMoon 2 years

I think there is some truth to this. Personally, I've dealt with women who had brothers, and they seemed "delayed" as far as growing up. These women are in their 30's (married with children), and they still refer to themselves as the "baby sister," AND they assume that posture in the world. It's odd.

amber512 2 years

I saved it for marriage and I have a younger brother. Are the two related? I wouldn't think so. I think it had more to do with my own personal beliefs and convictions.

Pistil 2 years

I have a younger brother and I was a late bloomer. As if he hadn't intentionally annoyed me enough as a child, he was doing it biologically as well!

Gdeeaz 2 years

I have an older brother and I wasn't a late bloomer. I actually think I grew up quicker then I should have. I think studies like this are interesting, but when they only interview 273 people from one location I can't take the studies seriously.

Girl Jen 2 years

I have a twin brother and a little brother, hit puberty at 13 and first had sex at 17. Had I not known how annoying guys can be, I probably would have been more curious about sex and boyfriends. But I knew that while there are some wonderful things about guys, there are also all the dick jokes and stupidity-induced traumatic injuries and the foot-in-mouth moments to contend with. Besides, with two brothers badgering me to go ride bikes, who has time to put on makeup and talk about crushes?

bengalspice 2 years

Um, hellz no. I still baby my brother, but he had nothing to do with delays of any kind in my life. The only thing he can be blamed for us reminding me how to be a kid at heart.

chloe bella 2 years

It's funny how, at first glance, I thought this was going to be a positive article, but then I saw the reasons why they believe older brothers have this effect. It's kind of sad if older brothers actually cause so much psychological stress to their younger sisters that it has a measurable physiological impact.

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