新研究：兄弟姐妹间会互相模仿

Sibling relationships are unique in their influence over a person's life and extend far beyond childhood, a study reveals.

一项研究表明，同胞关系对一个人的生活有特殊的影响，而且不仅限于童年时期。

Few dispute the significance of a brother or sister during a person's formative years, but siblings also influence life decisions as an adult, such as marriage and children. 

很少有人会质疑兄弟姐妹对一个人成长的重要影响，但他们也会影响一个人成年以后的人生抉择，比如结婚和生孩子。

A study from researchers at the University of Cologne spanning 32 years found people are more likely to get married, divorced or become a parent if they see a sibling do it first. 

科隆大学的研究人员进行了一项为期32年的研究，发现如果一个人的兄弟姐妹结婚、离婚或者为人父母了，那他也更有可能做出同样的选择。

Researchers analysed data from 4,521 individuals from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP), which collected information on marital and family life between 1984 and 2016.

研究人员分析了德国社会经济研究小组的4,521个人的数据，这一小组收集了1984年至2016年间婚姻家庭生活的信息。

The likelihood of getting married increases after watching a brother or sister tie the knot, the study shows.

研究发现，一个人如果有兄弟姐妹结婚了，那他结婚的可能性会增加。

'An individual’s propensity to marry increases after a sibling’s marriage and remain significant in the long-term,' the researcher write in the study.

研究人员在研究中写道：“在兄弟姐妹结婚以后，一个人结婚的可能性会增加，而且这种影响是长期的。”

'This finding is in line with the idea that a sibling’s entry into marriage may exert pressure, especially through parents, to form a family.'

“这项研究结果与一种想法一致，那就是兄弟姐妹结婚会给一个人造成成家的压力，这一压力尤其来自父母。”

A similar surge in probability also occurs if a sibling has a child but only for a short period of time.

类似的情况还会出现在兄弟姐妹生孩子的时候，但这种影响只是短期的。

'Similar to previous research, we find this effect to be short-lived, peaking in the first three years and declining afterward,' the scientists write.

科学家写道：“和此前的研究一样，我们发现这种影响是短暂的，在前三年会达到峰值，然后逐年下降。”

Unsurprising, the phenomenon was also seen in reverse and have a negative effect.

不足为奇的是，也存在与之相反的现象，会带来消极的影响。

For example, if a person watches their sibling get divorced, it makes them less likely to get married themselves.

例如，如果一个人看到兄弟姐妹离婚了，他们自己结婚的可能性就会降低。

The study's lead author, Zafer Buyukkececi, said: 'Taken together, our results support the idea that the process of family formation is interdependent among siblings.'

这项研究的主要作者Zafer Buyukkececi说：“我们这两项研究结果支持了成家这件事在兄弟姐妹之间会互相影响的想法。”