Twinship can easily become toxic when clear boundaries between twins are seriously confused and the unique individuality of each member of the pair is not respected. Twins can feel betrayed by one another, ignored (even invisible), or deeply disappointed in their sister or brother.
Twins are more likely to aid one another during difficult and stressful times. Also, identical twins may be more in tune with each other, another benefit. An identical twin might be better at knowing when their twin needs support and how to provide it. Hence, the longevity benefits of having a twin.
Twins are enmeshed with each other
Psychologists say it's not just genetics, but also factors like comparison during growth years, lack of individual identity, etc. The relationship often becomes codependent. You may begin to feel like an outsider in an intimate relationship, even though you're the one dating a twin.
One study on the twin relationship found that “individuation and connectedness may complement rather than compete with one another.” Twins have the potential to find even more success in romantic relationships because of all the hours clocked practicing empathy and the emotional give-and-take necessary for effective ...
Unfortunately, there are risks involved in multiple births — more than half of twins are born at a low birth weight, which can increase the risk of long-term health problems, such as asthma. And mom's also at risk: Having twins ups her odds for gestational hypertension and diabetes, as well as for having a C-section.
Adult twins will experience loneliness, which is inevitable and can lead to emotional confusion, depression, and being overwhelmed. Nontwins will not understand the depth of your loneliness, which will only gradually fade into the background as you make new friends and get engaged in life without your twin.
“Twin studies of major depressive disorder have showed that if one twin has the illness, a fraternal twin has an increased likelihood of developing the disorder and an identical twin's likelihood is even higher,” says Dr. Avari.
Fraternal twins, however, are particularly competitive and sometimes given to intense jealousy. Their rivalry is intensified because each twin has entirely different poten tials and abilities. The I.Q. span of fraternal twins is similar to that of any two children in the same family.
Multiples are about twice as likely as singleton babies to have birth defects, including neural tube defects (such as spina bifida), cerebral palsy, congenital heart defects and birth defects that affect the digestive system. Growth problems. Multiples are usually smaller than singleton babies.
According to a study carried out in 2012, researchers found overall lower marriage and divorce rates in twins compared to non-twins. One reason cited is because twins “do not have the same need for marriage as singletons, but have more experience in maintaining a relationship if they do marry”.
Some say that twins are always hard (yet amazing), while others say they truly didn't find them to be difficult. A few said that the first two months with twins are easy (being in the rose-colored glasses phase), then reality hits from months 3-6 (when the sleep deprivation catches up), then it can get easier again.
Analyses of data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health show that MZ twins were significantly more physically attractive and healthier than dizygotic (DZ) twins and singletons.
The longest interval between the birth of twins is 90 days, in the case of Molly and Benjamin West, dizygotic (fraternal) twins born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA to parents Lesa and David West (all USA) on 1 January and 30 March 1996.
Twins and other multiple-birth individuals can suffer from much deeper and troubling loneliness than single-born individuals. Separation anxiety, which often begins at birth, is the underlying cause of loneliness for twins.
Bonding with higher multiples can be especially difficult as you will of course have less time with each baby, but even 5-10 minutes each day can help you and your babies develop a relationship where you can see their individual personalities coming out.
Maureen Healy, an expert on sensitive children and author of Growing Happy Kids, tells Romper that twins have a bond that is oftentimes unexplainable and are closer than typical siblings — whether they're fraternal or identical. Healy says a lot of experts believe it's because this closeness is rooted in genetics.
"Twins tend to be closer than typical siblings — they share a bond that is oftentimes unexplainable," Maureen Healy, an expert on sensitive children and author of Growing Happy Kids, tells Romper. "Many believe this is rooted in genetics, such as identical twins sharing the same DNA."
Just as all twins love each other, all twins fight. These fights begin by six months of age and continue on and on. Some disagreements are healthy, normal, and expectable.
Attachment insecurity for both twins was higher than in the general population for ambivalence/resistance (34 % (21/62) vs. 16 %, p = 0.024) and total attachment insecurity (35 % (22/62) vs. 16 %, p = 0.016).
This phase of fighting is completely normal, and is a part of their growing up, when they learn to negotiate with each other. This phase of twin sibling rivalry helps them to explore and form their own identity, and will pass as time goes by.
Since identical twins share the exact genetic make-up, if bipolar were purely genetic, all identical twins would both have bipolar. However, these studies have shown that if one identical twin has bipolar, there is only a 40 to 70 percent chance that the other will also.
How Likely Are Twins To Be Diagnosed With Autism? Research has shown that identical twins are more likely to be diagnosed with autism, than fraternal twins. Researchers have identified that if one twin has autism, there is a 96% probability that the other will have it too.
Researchers from all over the world have found that when one identical twin is depressed, the other twin will also have depression 76% of the time. With fraternal pairs, the twin of a depressed person experiences depression only 19% of the time.