In modern culture, boys are often slighted; girls get billions devoted to their welfare while boys are the default excuse for whatever is wrong. Almost every television show that has a tough woman has her disclaiming, 'I grew up in a house full of boys', which is insulting to both girls and boys.

And that public relations has worked. Boys in surveys increasingly feel like peer relationships are less valuable. But new surveys show that may be not so; while sisters claim to benefit from having boys as siblings, boys also seem to benefit from being siblings. That means even if boys are positive socially, someone else gets the credit.

"In our study, most relationships were not as important for boys as they were for girls," said  Brigham Young University
psychology professor Laura Padilla-Walker, a co-author on the paper. "But the sibling relationship was different – they seemed to report relying on sibling affection just as much as girls do. It's an area where parents and therapists could really help boys."

Credit: BYU

They found that siblings uniquely promote the development of sympathy. A quality relationship with a brother or sister also increased teens' levels of altruism, also known as prosocial behavior.

"Having a sibling you can count on seems to make a difference especially for prosocial behavior," said lead author professor Jim Harper. "Best friends make a contribution, but siblings still matter."

The psychologists followed 308 pairs of teenage siblings for three years. The project measured their development and tracked the quality of their relationships with friends and family members.

"This was the first siblings study to control for all these other important relationships," Padilla-Walker said. "We can say that siblings are uniquely important, which is encouraging."

The message for parents is that helping their children have a positive relationship with each other will yield lasting rewards. Boys who have a hostile relationship with a sibling were significantly more likely to have behavioral problems later on. But the researchers caution that just breaking up fights isn't enough.

"The absence of conflict does not mean the presence of affection," Padilla-Walker said. "It's ok if siblings fight but help them get through that and have other positive interactions."