Tall people are happier, better educated

  • Thread starter Thread starter Evo
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the claims that taller individuals are happier and better educated, referencing a study by an economist at Princeton. Participants explore various aspects of this assertion, including the potential links between height, happiness, education, and income, as well as cultural biases related to height.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants reference a study indicating that taller individuals report higher levels of happiness and education, suggesting a correlation between height and positive life outcomes.
  • Others question whether factors like malnutrition and socioeconomic status influence height and happiness, arguing that these variables complicate the relationship.
  • A participant humorously notes that personal happiness can exist independently of height, sharing their own positive experiences as a shorter individual.
  • There are claims that societal perceptions of height can affect confidence and authority, with some arguing that taller individuals may be viewed as more powerful or attractive.
  • Several participants challenge the idea that height correlates with education, suggesting that such claims lack empirical support and may be overly simplistic.
  • Concerns are raised about the validity of broad statements regarding happiness and wealth, with some arguing that happiness can be found across different income levels.
  • Some participants express skepticism about the relationship between height and intelligence, arguing that education and intelligence are not synonymous.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express a range of views, with no consensus on the claims regarding height, happiness, and education. Many challenge the validity of the original assertions, while others share personal anecdotes that either support or contradict the claims.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight various assumptions, such as the influence of cultural biases on perceptions of height and the complexity of measuring happiness and education. There are unresolved questions about the methodologies of studies cited and the implications of socioeconomic factors.

  • #31
I found out where this person got his information, from an unverified Gallup poll. It was not a study where the people had any information verified... :rolleyes:
 
Physics news on Phys.org
  • #32
Evo said:
I found out where this person got his information, from an unverified Gallup poll. It was not a study where the people had any information verified... :rolleyes:

Source? Note that pollsters have pretty effective techniques for determining accuracy. This may have been taken into account.
 
  • #33
Evo said:
I found out where this person got his information, from an unverified Gallup poll. It was not a study where the people had any information verified... :rolleyes:

That's not true, I'm better than turbo ref [1]:

[1] http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090729/us_time/08599191325600
 
Last edited by a moderator:
  • #35
Cyrus said:
That's not true, I'm better than turbo ref [1]:

Btw, I'm ten-feet tall and have muscles like iron. I step on you little man.
 
  • #36
  • #37
Cyrus said:
Man, it's not just fragrances you're sensitive to...:bugeye:
Perhaps you need some sensitivity training. Is there even a chance in your little world that you might consider that another person might actually suffer from an affliction that you can't understand? Very sad.
 
  • #38
turbo-1 said:
Perhaps you need some sensitivity training. Is there even a chance in your little world that you might consider that another person might actually suffer from an affliction that you can't understand? Very sad.

Actually, I was pretty shocked at how defensive your post was on a mere article that Evo posted. You practically provided your entire resume to show your own worth because of what a yahoo! news article said..... :rolleyes:

The entire point was that the article is stupid, but I think that one flew over your head (Pun intended).

To be clear: we're joking in this thread.

Now go, "Ha-Ha-HA-HA-HA-HAHA-Giggle-HAhAHA", say something about how I'm tall and stupid and relax. :wink:
 
Last edited:
  • #39
I'm pretty tall and I have a kinda shtick that I do. Whenever someone says "You're tall can you grab that for me, it's closer for you", I say "You're short, can you tie my shoes for me? It's closer for you". I'm joking of course. I laugh and then I grab whatever they wanted.
 
  • #40
Evo said:
Does anyone here think that there is any truth to his claim that "tall people are better educated"?

No but beautiful people tend to be more successful in professional life

marlon
 
  • #41
Cyrus said:
Actually, I was pretty shocked at how defensive your post was on a mere article that Evo posted. You practically provided your entire resume to show your own worth because of what a yahoo! news article said..... :rolleyes:

The entire point was that the article is stupid, but I think that one flew over your head (Pun intended).

To be clear: we're joking in this thread.

Now go, "Ha-Ha-HA-HA-HA-HAHA-Giggle-HAhAHA", say something about how I'm tall and stupid and relax. :wink:

If you continue to post such harsh comments, you will get banned...permanently...
and i am taller than you ...
and better educated

marlon
 
  • #42
marlon said:
If you continue to post such harsh comments, you will get banned...permanently...
and i am taller than you ...
and better educated

marlon

Pull the string, MARLON.

Edit: PUSH. PUSH the string.
 
Last edited:
  • #43
maverick_starstrider said:
I'm pretty tall and I have a kinda shtick that I do. Whenever someone says "You're tall can you grab that for me, it's closer for you", I say "You're short, can you tie my shoes for me? It's closer for you".

:smile: I using that one on Tsu the next time she asks me to grab something for her.
 
  • #44
marlon said:
If you continue to post such harsh comments, you will get banned...permanently...
and i am taller than you ...
and better educated

marlon

Cyrus said:
Pull the string, MARLON.

No bickering you two. :devil:
 
  • #45
Cyrus said:
I've read accounts by several different journalists that the happiest people are alway the very poorest. They are always smiling, which is rarely the case for richer people. I think they attributed it to the fact that rich people spend most of their time worrying about things, while the poor people enjoy a simple stress free life.

Having spent a considerable amount of time visiting somewhat poor people I would generally agree that being rich does not lead to much happiness. However, there is a limit. I'm now in a country where abject poverty truly exists for a lot of the population, and I don't see very many smiling faces among those people. They are very stoic, but not really happy.

Though, being at the shorter end of the spectrum (5'2"), I think it's a bunch of hooey about tall people being happier. For one, they have a lot more back pain. Perhaps they smile more, but that's probably because they've been knocked senseless so many times when walking under tree branches and lower doorways that they aren't quite all there anymore. :biggrin: I'm happy, I'm well educated, I'm short...that's what step ladders are for!
 
  • #46
There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics.

Causation, correlation, who knows? there are so many factors involved, the metrics are messy. I'm skeptical of pretty much everything. It's possible, but I'm not going to waste time thinking about it.
 
  • #47
A lot of geniuses in history were short (ex : einstein). Top two billionare buffet and bill gates are pretty short (i think). Are NBA players (on extreme end of spectrum) the happiest in life? Well it seems with better nutrition and later generations height increases .(son is taller than the father). its hard to see a correlation between height and success or education. Its like asking do blue eyed people have better eyesight than brown or green eyes ?.
 
  • #48
When does "tall" start? I'm 6-feet plus 1/4 of an inch, so I usually say 6'0" but then people assume that I'm 5' 11-3/4" and tell me to stand with the short people, which is fine because then around them I'm "tall" and they have to give me money.
 
  • #49
Evo said:
Does anyone here think that there is any truth to his claim that "tall people are better educated"?

I think there is a significant correlation between height and skull/brain size.
 
  • #50
Evo said:
Does anyone here think that there is any truth to his claim that "tall people are better educated"?
or happier?

No. It's an individual matter.
 
  • #51
reese92tsi said:
I think there is a significant correlation between height and skull/brain size.
You haven't seen Giada De Laurentiis.

It's brain folding that is most significant.
 
  • #52
I don't have the time to read the whole thread, but an interesting question arises: even if this was true (of course, "true" under certain "statistical" circumstances), what good does such research do and what's the point? It's definitely a crappy and non-useful dead end in research.
 
  • #53
thorium1010 said:
A lot of geniuses in history were short (ex : einstein). Top two billionare buffet and bill gates are pretty short (i think). Are NBA players (on extreme end of spectrum) the happiest in life? Well it seems with better nutrition and later generations height increases .(son is taller than the father). its hard to see a correlation between height and success or education. Its like asking do blue eyed people have better eyesight than brown or green eyes ?.

Actually, eye color and eyesight are closer together than height and education...

If this is true, why are nerds typically portrayed as short?
 
  • #54
What i have heard in the past is that tall people tend to be favoured by employers in roles of leadership. Thats what might explain why this study presents the results it does. It's more an indication of social prejudices than anything else.
 
  • #55
Char. Limit said:
Actually, eye color and eyesight are closer together than ...

Are you sure ? I don't get it . As far i know there is no correlation between eyesight and color of iris.

If this is true, why are nerds typically portrayed as short?

All that energy is used in the brain (nerds) and very little for height :smile:
 
  • #56
Char. Limit said:
Actually, eye color and eyesight are closer together than height and education...

If this is true, why are nerds typically portrayed as short?

For the same reason that big and tall people are portrayed as dumb and bumbling... stereotypes made by idiots who don't really grasp the material, so to speak. Besides, an average nerd doesn't stand out in your mind the way a tiny nerd does... it's a bit like cold-reading yourself.
 
  • #57
Cyrus said:
I've read accounts by several different journalists that the happiest people are alway the very poorest. They are always smiling, which is rarely the case for richer people. I think they attributed it to the fact that rich people spend most of their time worrying about things, while the poor people enjoy a simple stress free life.

Hmmm... so it may be best for me to sell everything for cash and go berserk in vegas.
 
  • #58
I am 5'10" and a few centimeters tall, however, I do not care too much about money. I am happy though with the occasional bad days. I just feel money is not the sole purpose of life in general so I do not exactly live for it like others live to make money.

If you have made a purpose for yourself and do what you love, you will be happier. I do not find the, "being tall, thus happy vs. being short, thus unhappy" substantive enough to take note. Just some guy's "opinion".
 
  • #59
DBTS said:
I am 5'10" and a few centimeters tall, however, I do not care too much about money. I am happy though with the occasional bad days. I just feel money is not the sole purpose of life in general so I do not exactly live for it like others live to make money.

If you have made a purpose for yourself and do what you love, you will be happier. I do not find the, "being tall, thus happy vs. being short, thus unhappy" substantive enough to take note. Just some guy's "opinion".

Does that mean you're 5'11" or so :wink:?
 
  • #60
What is funny about the article is that the guy is an economist. Not a scientist, not an academecian. I wonder if the only thing this guy has going for him is height?
 

Similar threads

"The distribution of heights is not Gaussian"
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
3K
If the education bubble collapses, will it be the end of blue skies research ?
  • · Replies 57 ·
2
Replies
57
Views
14K
News How many people actually earn the minimum wage?
  • · Replies 65 ·
3
Replies
65
Views
14K
Educational Funding and Governments
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
4K
News Is a Major Overhaul of the US Government Possible? Feedback Wanted!
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
4K
Futility of self-pride and indignation
  • · Replies 27 ·
Replies
27
Views
5K