I am not a single child but I live with my husband who has been a single child. Here are some specific things (not all of them) that I have learnt over time living with him. They can very well be attributed to a person’s inherent personality but I think they are more related to him being raised as an only child.

The first one is the attitude around sharing. He will not be very open to sharing things at the first instance. Now, I am not saying he is reluctant to sharing always but for the most part, he feels it comfortable to ‘forget’ sharing so to speak. Also, he sometimes expects the other person to forego their own share to please him. Probably stems from the fact that parents often forego things to please children (or calm them down etc.). In my opinion, this behaviour does not suit a grown adult. Second difference is in his way of resolving conflicts. People like me who grew up with a sibling have an easy attitude towards resolving arguments/fights- just let a few minutes pass and we are good to go, best pals all over again. I notice my husband gets stuck on things and the only way to move on for him is to hear an explicit apology before he normalizes. This is not very good for married life but that’s a topic for another day.

Third would be an above-average desire to make friends with everyone. He can be really ‘pally’ with people in the very first meeting. I know that can be a common trait amoung other people as well but I feel it also is a part of how he was raised as a single child. Such children probably end up wanting to be friends with most of the people they meet (if not all).