Being the baby of the family has its ups and downs.

Sure, we loved being the centre of attention at family events and even got the odd sneaky fiver here and there, but let's face it – after years of hand-me-downs and fierce sibling rivalry, a few extra quid was the least we deserved.

And while our diplomatic mothers and fathers would never give a definitive answer when asked if we were their favourite child, deep down we knew where their loyalties lay – and now science is here to back us up.

According to new research published in the Journal of Adolescence, the youngest sibling is more likely to be the favourite in the family.

For the study, researchers asked 300 families, each with two teenagers, various question about parent-child relationships.

Mothers and fathers were asked how much warmth and conflict they had with their children, while teenagers were asked to give a brief description of their relationship with their parents.

Results showed that if both younger siblings and parents agree that they are the favourite, the parent-child bond is strengthened.

However, if this feeling was not mutual, the relationship would suffer.

What's more, the study showed that regardless of whether or not an older sibling thought they were the favourite, it has no effect on their relationship with their parents.

“It’s not that first-borns don’t ever think about their siblings and themselves in reference to them…it’s just not as active of a part of their daily life,” says Alex Jensen, assistant professor at the BYU School of Family Life.

“My guess is it’s probably rarer that parents will say to an older sibling, “Why can’t you be more like your younger sibling?” It’s more likely to happen the other way around.”

So basically, younger siblings are often deemed the favourite because we're stubborn little feckers who want to prove that we're better than our older brothers and sisters.

Makes sense really.