I posted this photo of me and my brother on Instagram during Siblings Day a few months back. Nerding out on top of the kite hill at Gasworks Park, wearing matching black socks and shorty shorts.
We're two years apart. And although we had our normal share of bouts growing up, for the most part we were buddies, partners in bed jumping crime, couch cushion fort architects, and kids show radio hosts. We looked out for each other. Or mostly, he looked out for me.
One of my favorite stories our mom tells, is about my first week of kindergarten. She asked my brother, a 2nd grader at the time, to play with me at recess so I wouldn't be alone. Except she only meant the first few days. Many months later, he asked our mom if he could join his own friends at recess. She was shocked that all that time, he was still watching after me. Now that's brotherly love.
The reason I'm bringing up our relationship for this week's Get Happy post, is because I read a fascinating statistic about the correlation between siblings and happiness. Harvard conducted one of the longest and most comprehensive studies of human development, the 75 year old Grant Study, which recently reached some interesting conclusions. One of which is this: 93% of the sample group, who were happily thriving at age 65, had a close relationship with a sibling.
That's a pretty strong majority. I personally love having a brother, especially now that we're older. And I agree that having him in my life heightens my level of happiness. But I know plenty of proud only-children who wouldn't have changed a thing. And unfortunately, having a sibling is not something you can control.
What do you think? Do you have a brother or sister who you feel contributes to your happiness?
