Research: Taller people are smarter
- Thread starter Deepak
- Start date
I have a feeling all the people who worked on that research were above average in height. 
arjan de lumens
Veteran
According to the article, they indeed are.I have a feeling all the people who worked on that research were above average in height.
It's a rather odd finding to make. It would be rather easily explainable in very poor developing countries - childhood malnutrition is known to cause both reduced growth and reduced intelligence - but one would not expect such factors to be relevant in countries like USA and UK, where the study was done.
There is also research showing that fatter babies end up doing better on IQ tests later. But these kinds of studies tend to miss out on correcting for other factors.
Someone can be underweight or short because of malnourishment, or, they can be underweight or short because of genetic factors. My son got excellent pre-natal care, was born overdue by a week, and is in top shape, but he is in the 5% percentile of weight, and 50% by height. However, his development milestones were much earlier than other babies who were heavier and taller. Of the 5 babies of people we know and hang out with, he walked, talked, grasped, rolled over, pushed up, and all the other milestones an average of 4-8 weeks ahead of them. Just anecdotal evidence of course, but I think the studies are not looking at genetic/race factors. Are Scandinavians so tall because they have the best diet, or because of a combination of factors.
I actually though the heavier babies had a harder time of walking because their muscles weren't developed enough to support their weight.
Anyway, the growth charts used typically represent caucasian babies, and not mixed Asian babies, who are almost always smaller, because Asian women are usually smaller, and therefore, the birth canal is typically smaller. If this relationship weren't so, far more Asian women would die in childbirth from oversized babies due to cephalopedic disproportion (baby's head too big for birth canal). No matter how much nourishment the baby gets, he won't grow too big to come out most of the time, which means, on average, asian babies have lower birthweight.
There is actually a slightly higher risk of mixed-asian babies requiring C-sections or being premature because genetically, the non-Asian father may tend to engender a baby that might too large to get out if full term. Or atleast, my wife's OB-GYN told her, warning her that a c-section might be in the cards.
Someone can be underweight or short because of malnourishment, or, they can be underweight or short because of genetic factors. My son got excellent pre-natal care, was born overdue by a week, and is in top shape, but he is in the 5% percentile of weight, and 50% by height. However, his development milestones were much earlier than other babies who were heavier and taller. Of the 5 babies of people we know and hang out with, he walked, talked, grasped, rolled over, pushed up, and all the other milestones an average of 4-8 weeks ahead of them. Just anecdotal evidence of course, but I think the studies are not looking at genetic/race factors. Are Scandinavians so tall because they have the best diet, or because of a combination of factors.
I actually though the heavier babies had a harder time of walking because their muscles weren't developed enough to support their weight.
Anyway, the growth charts used typically represent caucasian babies, and not mixed Asian babies, who are almost always smaller, because Asian women are usually smaller, and therefore, the birth canal is typically smaller. If this relationship weren't so, far more Asian women would die in childbirth from oversized babies due to cephalopedic disproportion (baby's head too big for birth canal). No matter how much nourishment the baby gets, he won't grow too big to come out most of the time, which means, on average, asian babies have lower birthweight.
There is actually a slightly higher risk of mixed-asian babies requiring C-sections or being premature because genetically, the non-Asian father may tend to engender a baby that might too large to get out if full term. Or atleast, my wife's OB-GYN told her, warning her that a c-section might be in the cards.
I would speculate that diet plays a large role. An observation that I have made, during the course of attending many Italian functions, is that the children of post WWII southern Italian immigrants are considerably taller than their parents. I would estimate that the difference averages at least six inches. Most likely due to an increase in protein consumption.
Diet plays an influence, as does environment, but maximum potential is controlled by genetics. Just as diet plays a role in lifespan as does behavior and medical care, but many very long lived people seem to have been dealt a genetic gift.
Height is shown to be heriditary and also very variable to external factors. In other words, feeding an infant a perfectly optimal diet and environment isn't going to make him 6'2'' unless his genetic traits will allow it.
Human growth hormone malfunctions in people also show the degree to which genetics and organ regulation can have on height. A poorly fed person who has giantism is still going to be huge.
Andre the Giant was no Einstein.
I'm 179 cm, am I smart?
Of course taller people are smarter!! And i'm not just saying that cause i'm 6'2"!!
Surely not, but from my understanding he wasn't a slouch in the noggin, but maybe that was because everybody expected him to be sub-normal.
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