When piling into the back of a car as a family, there’s often one child who always gets the middle seat. The lack of legroom, awkward seat belts, nowhere to rest your arm and no window to gaze out of make the middle seat the undisputed short straw.
However, a recent study has shown that the underdogs that reside in the car’s middle ground often grow up to be very successful in business.
It has been suggested that the perceived unfair discrimination gives the middle seat sitters the drive to succeed and ‘beat’ their siblings later in life.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that adults who attribute their success to their time spent as the middle seat child might make them bitter, but the results of the study show something quite different.
Child psychologist, Laverne Antrobus, comments: ‘This research by ŠKODA into family car journeys is really interesting; cars are a unique environment and a lot can be revealed when everyone is sitting together in a confined space. It’s fascinating to see how a seating position in the back of the car, often over many years, can directly reflect or influence our personalities.
Do you think there are other ways that in-car dynamics can affect you in life? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!