Do you know which is life's longest lasting relationship? It is the bond between siblings.
"It lasts longer than our relationship with our children, certainly longer than with a spouse, and with the exception of a few lucky men and women, longer than with a best friend," wrote authors Stephen Bank and Michael Kahn in their latest book "The Sibling Bond".
Sibling relationships provide children with their first peer interactions and the first opportunity to handle the different aspects of long-term and intimate relationships.
Some people are able to let go of negative experiences better than others. And siblings seem especially capable of this.
"The relationships which we have with our siblings thrive on differences - not only the ones we have had as children, but those which we continue to create as adults," Bank and Kahn added.
Difference - like similarity - helps to make lively our connections even when these connections are upsetting or uncomfortable. Being different makes the bond work.
According to Huffington Post, "Siblings that experience traumatic events together, whether it be the divorce of their parents or the sudden loss of a loved one, maintain the ability to put their differences aside and band together for strength and support".
They work through the pain, experience tough life lessons with a stable support system and often grow closer than ever.
Earlier research shows that as people get older, their morale seems to be higher if their siblings are also living.
In addition, elderly men with sisters seem to be more emotionally secure than those without sisters, the report added.