AN ODE TO SISTERS

Sophie Harris-Taylor’s book ‘Sisters’ includes interviews from over 100 sets of sisters, photograph: CC

By Jessie Williams

05.03.18

Growing up with siblings makes you more empathetic according to a new study.

The research, conducted by the University of Calgary and the University of Toronto, shows that it isn’t just parents who contribute to children’s early growth.

It found that brothers and sisters help each other’s personal development. For example, the show of support from an older sibling can help a younger sibling’s language development and understanding of other people’s point of view.

This comes after a survey by De Montfort University at the end of last year revealed that people who grow up with sisters tend to have better mental health and are happier individuals (they obviously hadn’t read Jeffery Eugenides’ The Virgin Suicides).

I have three sisters, so I may be biased, but both of these studies sound accurate.

Growing up in an almost-all-female household I was never without a playmate/confidante/friend – loneliness was not an option, and neither was boredom. We made our own fun; dreaming up other worlds, making dens, dressing up. My sisters taught me those basic values that you don’t really think are important but are actually fundamental in life: patience, sharing, listening to each other and supporting one another.

I’m not saying I’m a morally perfect person, but I do believe my emotional intelligence is better because of them.

Of course, our teenage years were a hotbed of hormones with slammed doors, stolen clothes, arguing, and a healthy dash of bitchiness thrown in. Presumably that helps with character-building too.

Sophie Harris-Taylor’s recent book ‘Sisters’, in which she photographed and interviewed over 100 sets of sisters, beautifully captures the complexity of that special bond. Each page delves into the unique stories behind what it means to have a sister, from the jealousy to the unconditional love. I’ve just bought it for my sister’s birthday.

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