27 August 2006

Taller, Richer, Smarter

Taller people do not just earn more, they are apparently smarter, if we are to believe this recent study.
"As adults, taller individuals are more likely to select into higher paying occupations that require more advanced verbal and numerical skills and greater intelligence, for which they earn handsome returns," they wrote.

For both men and women in the United States and the United Kingdom, a height advantage of four inches equated with a 10 percent increase in wages on average.

[SOURCE: Reuters, 25 Aug 2006 ]

The researchers also found out that "as early as age 3," even before formal schooling has began, taller kids had better scores on cognitive tests. Taller children become taller adults, and their lucky streak continues, according to the study. Certainly, heredity, prenatal care, and good nutrition play significant roles in influencing their height increase.

I'm not that tall, and I'm not sour-graping when I say I have second thoughts on the said study, but I know a lot of not-so-tall people performing cognitively better than taller people. But I do wish I were several inches taller. *LOL*

9 reactions:

Anonymous said...

they say, height is an advantage. true to some aspects, but let not the height discrepancy hinder an individual's aim to reach (err.. might be difficult for them he he) heights..

Anonymous said...

Dr. Emer, I can't find the study now, but a number of years ago I read that, of the various races globally, the oriental race scores the highest in intelligence over all.

The oriental peoples are not particularly tall ...

I would be more likely to believe the racial intelligence profiling than I would be one that simply marks something that could be altered by diet ... or any number of other factors, not all of which are genetic.

In another place, I once read that taller people - and people who are aesthetically attractive - are likely to be seen as more intelligent ...

I think it could be a matter of people being swayed by externals ...

ipanema said...

I agree with both bing and Moof here. Funny thing is the shorter the person, the higher the ego. :)
To compensate for height perhaps.

Anonymous said...

BING: That can be a great mantra. :)

MOOF: I think every person is unique. One can have their strong points and also, their weak points. While it is true that competition is fierce, I think every one can have a place and eventually survive.

IPANEMA: I do hope that is not an absolute statement, my friend. :)

Anonymous said...

i'm finidng it hard to believe that taller kids turn to taller adults. from my observation, it's quite the opposite. those kids who were at the back of the line in elementary days somehow didn't grow as fast come adolescence. by the time we were in high school sila na yung nasa harap.

although whether that's the trend or merely an exception, am not sure. ano sa tingin mo, doc?

rolly said...

Somehow I am a bit skeptical about the study. As you said, there had been short people who performed well in school and in life. I think it's very hard to make generalizations of this nature.

sayang, tall pa naman ako. hahahaha

Anonymous said...

I've seen a similar article about this topic. They were using the height statistics of company CEOs and presidents to prove the same point.

I still beg to disagree ( but I don't mind to be a little bit tall either!)

ipanema said...

Just a cliche doc. :)

eye said...

ironically, nung college, lahat ng summa at magna sa course ko eh mga maliliit. tapos yung mga matatangkad either lumipat ng ibang course or na-delay...

at p.s.
maliit na maliit ako hahaha!