新研究：兄弟姐妹間會互相模仿

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

一項研究表明，同胞關係對一個人的生活有特殊的影響，而且不僅限於童年時期。

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. 

很少有人會質疑兄弟姐妹對一個人成長的重要影響，但他們也會影響一個人成年以後的人生抉擇，比如結婚和生孩子。

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. 

科隆大學的研究人員進行了一項爲期32年的研究，發現如果一個人的兄弟姐妹結婚、離婚或者爲人父母了，那他也更有可能做出同樣的選擇。

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.

研究人員分析了德國社會經濟研究小組的4,521個人的數據，這一小組收集了1984年至2016年間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.

研究發現，一個人如果有兄弟姐妹結婚了，那他結婚的可能性會增加。

'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.

研究人員在研究中寫道：“在兄弟姐妹結婚以後，一個人結婚的可能性會增加，而且這種影響是長期的。”

'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.'

“這項研究結果與一種想法一致，那就是兄弟姐妹結婚會給一個人造成成家的壓力，這一壓力尤其來自父母。”

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

類似的情況還會出現在兄弟姐妹生孩子的時候，但這種影響只是短期的。

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

科學家寫道：“和此前的研究一樣，我們發現這種影響是短暫的，在前三年會達到峯值，然後逐年下降。”

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

不足爲奇的是，也存在與之相反的現象，會帶來消極的影響。

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

例如，如果一個人看到兄弟姐妹離婚了，他們自己結婚的可能性就會降低。

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.'

這項研究的主要作者Zafer Buyukkececi說：“我們這兩項研究結果支持了成家這件事在兄弟姐妹之間會互相影響的想法。”