Only The Lonely

Only children score better on IQ tests, reach higher levels of education and get more prestigious jobs than people with siblings. Look at Leonardo da Vinci, Franklin Roosevelt, Joseph Stalin. But there is a price for fame and glory. "Onlies" are associated with a host of irksome psychological traits -- among them impaired social skills and a nagging need for attention. Now it seems they may also suffer from a distinct physical handicap: higher blood pressure.

According to a study by researchers at the State University of New York at Buffalo, men who do not have siblings are nearly twice as likely to suffer from hypertension as men who do. In women, the risk jumps by half as much as it does for men. The research, reported in a letter to the New England Journal of Medicine, did not determine whether only children have a increased risk of heart disease. But it may provoke second thoughts among the growing numbers of parents who for reasons of life-style or necessity are choosing to stop at one.