While having a bedroom for every member of your family may feel like the ideal situation, sometimes it’s just not possible.
But it turns out, siblings who share a bedroom with one another could really benefit from the experience. According to a new study, (despite issues around sibling rivalry and arguing with brothers and sisters), the shared sleeping space could result in a child growing up to have better confidence, intelligence and conflict management skills. The research by Hammonds Furniture looked into the lives of 2000 adults who who had previously shared a bedroom with at least one brother or sister.
The results found that people who shared a bedroom with a sibling during childhood believe it helped them to navigate adult life better. In fact, 59% of participants agreed that the experience helped prepare them for shared spaces as an adult, such as university halls and office spaces.
Meanwhile, 39% felt it helped strengthen their relationships with family members and 38% reckoned it developed their emotional intelligence. It was also revealed that sharing had helped many later in life with their confidence levels and conflict management.
Speaking on the findings, psychologist Dennis Relojo-Howell said, “The are many benefits to children sharing a room, for example, children who are anxious about sleeping on their own can feel more secure. Also, children will quickly learn the art of compromising – by learning how to occupy a shared space, the child is likely to carry this skill into adult life when in the workplace or living in shared flats”
“It is only normal that there are times that siblings will not get on well, but dealing with conflict at a young age can actually help children develop the emotional intelligence to better navigate the adult world.”
