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@rufustheduck there are a couple of little black and white cats I see by a house on my way to the gym. For ages, I thought there was just one cat that was sometimes super-friendly and other times really aloof, then I saw them together and the penny dropped 
@ShaulaEvans so many people I studied were like 'I was lonely because I was an only child' or even 'I don't remember being lonely, but I must have been because I was an only child' because they imbibed the stereotype, but looking closer, eg. living a long way from other kids, emotionally-distant parents, enjoying their own company were better explanations (plus, having siblings was no guarantee of companionship!).
@ShaulaEvans thanks, and same – my main finding was that other factors were more instrumental than being an only child in itself! Eg. Family circumstances/parental attitudes, individual personality, class, where they lived, when they lived, gender...
@ShaulaEvans @bookstodon Thicker Than Water by Leonore Davidoff, which I read ahead of a colloquium with the author at the beginning of my Master's in 2012, when I was 23.
It's a monograph about siblings in history that's super engaging because it's such an interesting, human topic and she wrote it in such an accessible way. Not only did it open my eyes to the fact historians are 'allowed' to write like that, but it made me think 'what about only children?' – giving me a topic for my PhD!