(Provo, UT) — They may tell you otherwise, but a new study found that parents do indeed have a favorite child. A new study from Brigham Young University looked at the reasons why parents show favoritism which has been dubbed parental differential treatment. The researchers dug through a large set of existing studies conducted between August 2015 and April 2022, and found that birth order does play a factor with the youngest often getting preferential treatment. They found children that are more agreeable and responsible also tend to be favorites.