How 'overlooked' middle children triumph in the end

被忽视的家中老二长大后最有出息

According to the stereotype, they are usually overshadowed and overlooked.

在人们的印象中，排行中间的孩子常常生活在家里其他孩子的阴影之下或被忽视。

But middle children are more likely to grow up to become successful and well-adjusted adults, a study has claimed.

但有研究表明：排行中间的孩子，长大后更易取得成功且更有适应能力。

Far from being apathetic or withdrawn, researchers found that a middle child’s place in the family helps them develop negotiation and communication skills.

研究表明，排行中间并不会令他们感情冷淡或孤独离群，相反，他们在家庭中所处的位置更有利于协商谈判和沟通交流能力的发展。

Psychologist Catherine Salmon claims that middle siblings are more likely to ‘become agents of change in business, politics and science’ – a conclusion that high-profile middle children such as Madonna and Bill Gates would probably support.

心理学家凯瑟琳·萨尔蒙称，排行中间的孩子更可能“成为商业经理人，政客和科学家”——麦当娜和比尔盖茨等名人可能会赞同这一说法，因为他们也是家里排行中间的孩子。

And they are also more likely to be faithful spouses, have the drive to succeed in the workplace and be motivated by fairness.

不仅如此，排行中间的孩子会在婚姻关系中更加忠诚，在工作中更为努力的获取成功，对公平有更高的要求。

Professor Salmon, who reviewed dozens of studies into the effect of birth order for her book The Secret Power of Middle Children, said: ‘As children, middles have to wait a lot. Modern middles wait while their younger sibling is loaded into the car seat.

萨尔蒙教授在完成《排行中间孩子的神秘力量》一书时，对几十个家庭进行了跟踪研究，以探知家中排行会对孩子成长产生何种影响。她发现：“排行中间的孩子经常需要等待。等父母先把弟弟妹妹在汽车座位上安置好。”

'They wait while the firstborn performs in the recital. They wait to be served at the dinner table and complimented for their hard work in school. Middles are accustomed to not getting what they want right away.

家中长子登台演出时，他们等待自己有也登上舞台。在餐桌上，他们要等待，父母表扬孩子们在学校里的表现时，首先提到的也不是他们的名字。他们习惯于不会立即得到想要的东西。

'They learn the art of delayed gratification, and this helps them later in life.'

“他们很早就学会了延误满足的艺术，这对他们以后的生活很有帮助。”

However, the picture isn’t all rosy, as Professor Salmon also found that middle children report feeling more distant from their parents and are more likely to be easily influenced by their friends.

然而，排行中间带来的并不全是好处，萨尔蒙教授还发现：排行中间的孩子与父母的关系更为疏远，且更容易受到朋友的影响。

She added: ‘Middles get less time, attention and resources from their parents, and they often suffer from this. But this suffering seems to be short-lived.

她补充道：“家长在排行中间的孩子身上投入的时间、精力和资源都比较少，这会让孩子们感到困扰。但这种困扰并不长久。”

‘As is abundantly clear, this lack of attention can lead to the development of some extremely useful skills.’

“毫无疑问，缺乏关注会造成孩子某些重要技能发展的缺失。”