The relationships that we have with our siblings are often the longest lasting relationships of our lives.

Brothers and sisters are our first childhood playmates and our first rivals.

In adulthood, siblings can be a source of friendship and emotional support.

They're the only other people in the world who remember and understand exactly what it was like to grow up within our family.

Yet despite their importance, sibling relationships are often overlooked and understudied,

or seen as less important than other relationships such as romantic partnerships and parent-child bonds.

But psychologists and other researchers have insights to offer

on how our siblings influence our lives from childhood through adulthood. So how can we get the most

out of these relationships? How do our siblings affect us as children and as adults? What can parents

do to help foster close relationships among their children?

When parents play favorites, how does that affect the sibling bond?

What can people do in adulthood to maintain and improve relationships with their own siblings,

and what does the research say about the diverse types of sibling relationships that are more common than ever,

such as have siblings, step, step-siblings,

and others. Welcome to Speaking of Psychology, the flagship podcast of the American Psychological

Association that examines the links between psychological science and everyday life. I'm Kim Mills.

We have two guests today.

Dr. Lori Kramer, a professor of applied psychology at Northeastern University, and Emeritus Professor of Applied Family Studies at the University of Illinois, has studied sibling relationships

for decades.

She focuses on how young children can develop positive relationships with their siblings.

Her findings have been widely cited in media outlets, including the New York Times,

Time Magazine, and the Today Show, just to give a few examples.

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