My sister visited recently, four wonderful days after several years of not being together. No one else shares our upbringing, relatives, and history. We differ on religion and politics, but she’s my best friend. We understand each other. There’s always love and support between us.

Are we unique? Siblings are as diverse as any other group of people, and surely not all such relationships are wonderful. Jealousy. Spite. Embarrassment. Envy. Competition. Even physical or psychological abuse. But in general?

Having siblings can bring meaningful benefits—shaping relationships, personal growth, and even values. Here are some of the potential benefits, according to research.

Benefits of Siblings

Learning to Share

Having a sibling almost guarantees you will know how to share, whether willingly or by force. My sister and I shared toys, clothes, and bedrooms. As adults, we still offer each other jewelry, clothes, the starts of perennial plants, etc.

Sharing isn’t only toys and food, though we did that; it’s also time and attention. When there are multiple kids in the family, one child doesn’t monopolize the conversation, which teaches a child to listen as well as talk. Partly because I am the oldest, I had a lot more time with Dad early on while my sister spent more time with Mom.

Companionship and Support

Siblings often provide a lifelong bond, offering emotional support, shared memories, and a sense of belonging. They can be your first friends and confidants. My sister and I confided to each other about our love lives and marital issues.

Author Mary Eberstadt wrote, “Diverse findings show that being accompanied through early life by nonparental contemporaneous others (i.e., siblings) gives children and teenagers a leg up on socialization.”

Conflict Resolution Skills

Growing up with siblings teaches you how to navigate disagreements, compromise, and negotiate—skills that are valuable in all relationships.

Empathy and Understanding

Living with siblings helps you develop empathy as you learn to consider others’ perspectives and feelings.

Shared Responsibilities

Siblings can divide chores, share resources, and help each other with tasks, making daily life easier. This was especially true for us when our mother was ill for several years and I managed the household.

Cost Savings

From sharing clothes to splitting the cost of gifts or vacations, siblings can help reduce financial burdens. We shared clothes as children, vacationed together as adults—especially beach weeks with children—and frequently share the cost of flowers for funerals, decorating our parents’ graves, etc. Cost sharing isn’t a necessity so much as part of our bonds as sisters.

Lifelong Friendship

Many people describe their siblings as their closest friends, even into adulthood—which is how I started this piece.

Caregiving in Later Life

Siblings often support each other in times of need, whether it’s caring for aging parents or helping during tough times. After living in Florida for seventeen years, when my sister’s older husband started failing, she moved them to the town where I lived in Virginia for the explicit purpose of my support.

Healthy Competition

Siblings can motivate you to excel in academics, sports, or other areas by fostering a spirit of healthy competition. Not part of my experience, but consider the Williams sisters’ tennis achievements.

Diversity of Experiences

Growing up with siblings exposes you to different personalities, interests, and perspectives, broadening your worldview.

Shared Family History

Siblings help preserve family traditions, stories, and cultural heritage, creating a sense of continuity and identity. Our recent visit was full of talk, supporting all of those.

Celebrations and Milestones

From holidays to birthdays, siblings make special occasions more joyful and memorable. We attended each other when we married, and still mark significant birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays with gifts, calls, and—too rarely—visits.

Other Siblings’ Relationships

I’m well aware that not all sibling relationships follow this pattern. I was still in elementary school when, realizing that my mother could have no more children, our parents adopted a brother, one month younger than I and in my sister’s class in school.

He and I never developed the closeness I’ve enjoyed with my sister. It may be that not sharing our earliest years was a big factor. It may have been not sharing many activities: he was deep into team sports and our school had none for girls. We also were not in the same classes. I always felt protective of him, and we always got along, but just not the same closeness.

I could go into my husband’s relationships with his siblings, or my daughters’ relationships with each other. Instead, look to your own family and friends.

Bottom Line: Although it isn’t guaranteed, having siblings offers many potential benefits. Here’s hoping you have enjoyed many of them.