Asymmetrical Information

Not to burst your bubble or anything, but does the height/income correlation apply for both men and women, or just men? It isn't clear from the report's abstract.

Well, Miss Megan is sure smart and tall.

Just sayin'

Just because correlation isn't causation doesn't mean it's not true here.

Actually you are just tall for a girl.

"If I have seen farther than others, it is because I have been surrounded by midgets." -- Murray Gell-Mann

"Tall people tend to have great personalities."--Josh Neff, "Last Days of Disco" (1998), for some strange reason, Whit Stillman's last film

At 4'8" in my posh fishtank platform boots I am somewhat shorter than average. I've noticed that most people can count change without having to remove said boots, so I suppose I'm a weak hitter in the IQ ballpark too. Nonetheless height and intelligence aren't everything. In my powerful red car I cut quite the dashing figure as I cruse along the boulevard, and I can peform cunning pantomimes which never fail to confuse and delight toddlers and dogs alike.

But yes, us short people are pretty stupid.

Given that height and intelligence are both positively correlated with good nutrition during childhood, it doesn't seem surpising that height and intelligence would wind up positively correlated as well.

I always thought the law firm was full of morons. Now I can prove it!

Hey, I linked to this paper first!

My understanding of this - from an epidemiological perspective - is that height and intelligence are both impaired by poor health and poor nutrition.

Populations of smaller people include those who have been stunted by previous poor health - presumably this has also impaired their brain development or functioning.

As health and nutrition improve, so average height increases, and presumably average intelligence too.

"Given that height and intelligence are both positively correlated with good nutrition"

That's always been my response too. And I've wondered how the correlation turns out when nutrition is controlled for. Anyone know?

If you really want to create a stir, mention that height and intelligence are correlated and then point out that sex and height are also correlated.

But since men and women generally have comparable IQs on average despite height differences, I would think that this would suggest that the height-intelligence correlation is due to nutrition, not raw size.

Is it possible that tall people have better self-esteem, and people with good self-esteem get better test scores (on the average) merely because they are less likely to "freeze" on tests?

(Short and very egotistical, here...)

So let's see, four standard deviations would make you six foot three with an IQ of 160 (average woman is five foot five with a 2.5" standard deviation; average IQ is 100 with a 15-point standard deviation).

Does this mean that Jimmy Madison was the stupidest president?

is the point really that tall people are smarter or that short people are impaired? does this mean the IQ of NBA players is above average? why not? if taller is better, is more taller more better?

This study shows that correlations between height and intelligence are non-existant in well nourished populations.
source

I think the point is that even the intelligentsia is stupid enough to defer to tall people, as though an imposing visual feature indicates superiority of ability or character.

This is known as being a fool.

heightwise, I'm over four standard deviations from the mean

What about incomewise?

"Does this mean that Jimmy Madison was the stupidest president?"

Perhaps if you asked that question in 1999...

I'm four deviations from the mean, but they aren't standard.

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