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Tall People Earn More

ayahner writes "Tall people earn considerably more money throughout their lives than their shorter co-workers, with each inch adding about $789 a year in pay, according to a new study. If this is true, I should make a killing! At 6'7" I tower over other developers. It's mostly a distraction, as I can see over even the highest cubes and if I stand just in the right spot, I can receive satellite transmissions. Saves on the cell phone bill. I'm going to go ask for a raise right now, if I can figure out how to work the printer..."

661 comments

  1. Welcome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I, for one, welcome our plutocratic and Brobdignagian overlords!

    1. Re:Welcome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For once, a funny first post.

    2. Re:Welcome! by netglen · · Score: 1

      Short people got no reason
      Short people got no reason
      Short people got no reason
      To live

      They got little hands
      Little eyes
      They walk around
      Tellin' great big lies
      They got little noses
      And tiny little teeth
      They wear platform shoes
      On their nasty little feet

      Well, i don't want no short people
      Don't want no short people
      Don't want no short people
      `round here

      Short people are just the same
      As you and i
      (a fool such as i)
      All men are brothers
      Until the day they die

      Short people got nobody
      Short people got nobody
      Short people got nobody
      To love

      They got little baby legs
      That stand so low
      You got to pick 'em up
      Just to say hello
      They got little cars
      That go beep, beep, beep
      They got little voices
      Goin' peep, peep, peep
      They got grubby little fingers
      And dirty little minds
      They're gonna get you every time
      Well, i don't want no short people
      Don't want no short people
      Don't want no short people
      'round here
      -- by Randy Newman

    3. Re:Welcome! by Satan+Dumpling · · Score: 1

      Well, I'm 4'10", so I think the article writer should send me $394.50 to even things out :)

    4. Re:Welcome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You must be a democrat.

    5. Re:Welcome! by Satan+Dumpling · · Score: 1

      Nah, just a greedy little munchkin :)

    6. Re:Welcome! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Like George W who really did add 6" to his size? He has big biceps too, but I don't get bicep spam.

    7. Re:Welcome! by PDX · · Score: 1

      Learning how to fix the printer is so far beneath you. Let the little people do that for you. :-)

    8. Re:Welcome! by fuzdout · · Score: 1

      Hey I am 4 foot 8inches tall -no wonder I am poor! :)

      So nice to see someone is at least *close* to my height :)

      And I agree, we should get a big fat check to even things out. ;)

      --
      Fuzdout
      ..My sig ran away. Has anyone seen my sig?
  2. obvious by kurosawdust · · Score: 5, Funny

    Well of course we get more money! We don't have huge pots of gold to fall back on like short people do! Quit whinin'!

    1. Re:obvious by cloudship_tacitus · · Score: 1

      thank you. now i have a line to fall back on when both my 5'6" or so boss and similar height co-worker hear about this. :)

    2. Re:obvious by BTO · · Score: 0

      I'm sure you intended that as a joke, but it is true that most inherited money is in the hands of short people. Since firstborn children tend to inherit more and since the firstborn usually goes through childhood with inexperienced and less competent parents, they tend to be malnourished and have stunted growth. Children born later are fed better and given better overall health care, once the parents learn, for instance, to serve high-protein breakfasts like eggs instead of pop-tarts and kool-aid.

      --

      Banach-Tarski Overdrive
    3. Re:obvious by KUHurdler · · Score: 1

      Yes, and being 6'5", its hard as heck for me to Sneak Out, so they figure they'll get their money's worth out of me.

      --
      Fix Your Own TV - RiddledTV.com Avoid the Landfill
    4. Re:obvious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So please explain why I am 5'11 and the first born. All of my siblings are far shorter than me, they run from 5'7 to 5'3 Your theory is flawed.

    5. Re:obvious by SYFer · · Score: 2, Funny

      Or perhaps there are some scandals in your family that are better left unresolved.

      --
      "...all the labours of the ages, all the devotion, all the inspiration, all the noonday brightness..." yada yada
    6. Re:obvious by captain_craptacular · · Score: 1

      I'd say it's the other way around. Parents are ultra careful with the firstborn and by the second or third kid it's coke and a bigmac for breakfast. Firstborns are more likely to succeed though. So I guess the ultimate would be a firstborn, tall, male with good vision and all his hair.

      --
      They who would give up an essential liberty for temporary security, deserve neither liberty nor security
    7. Re:obvious by Dudio · · Score: 1

      That's because of the inverse theory. Firstborn children tend to be healthier and thus grow taller because a family typically has a fixed pool of money from which to provide for their children. Firstborns get the benefit of that entire pool during their early childhood, but when additional children are born into the family, that pool must then be divided amongst all children in the family, reducing the amount spent on any individual child. Later-born children, then, are more likely to suffer from malnutrition, parental neglect, etc. in their critical early years.

    8. Re:obvious by dtfinch · · Score: 1

      I'm much taller than my older brother. But early in life, yeah, I was smaller than he was at the same age. He was a fat, fat, baby, which didn't last after I came along.

    9. Re:obvious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Flamebait

      Duh! men are taller than women, men get payed more than women, it took a study to figure this out??
      sheesh

    10. Re:obvious by legojenn · · Score: 1

      If you get the chance, see Alun Cochrane. He's a British stand-up comedian. His "I'm a giant" gag is killer. Maybe taller people are funnier too?

      --
      I make a reasonable middle-class wage by going to work and not spamming blogs with scams.
    11. Re:obvious by angryelephant · · Score: 1

      Of course height is a requirment for management positions. How are you supposed to get your lackeys, i mean subordinates, to work unless you are taller than them? duh...

    12. Re:obvious by zomper514 · · Score: 1

      Yeah I can't Complain

    13. Re:obvious by hesiod · · Score: 1

      > men are taller than women, men get payed more than women,

      Insightful, my ass. The article said the study was controlled by gender, weight, and age.

    14. Re:obvious by hesiod · · Score: 1

      I think your theory is flawed that later children eat better. First-time parents are paranoid as hell about doing everything right, so they feed them right. They don't care with the second, because they don't want the headaches and whining again, so they say "shut up and eat the damned Pop-Tart, see if I care." I know all about it, I'm asecond child, and the first is the "perfect" son. I'm... well, not.

    15. Re:obvious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yup. That's me. I know it's true from experience, but I just figure I must have been an untouchable sewer cleaner in my past life.

      I've always been grateful though. It's like winning the lottery...to be a healthy white male living in North America in this period of time is truly about as lucky as you can get. I never forget that.

    16. Re:obvious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      I for one welcome our enormous coworker overlords!

    17. Re:obvious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What is so lucky about it, sirrah? I was rejected from University of Wisconsin - Madison despite a score of 31 on the ACT and a respectable GPA. Meanwhile, two female classmates with nearly identical academic credentials were admitted. Why should I be denied admission simply because I was born with a dick? When scholarships were awarded at the school I finally did go to, I had access to far fewer scholarships than "minority" students, despite coming from a financial background indicative of financial need. I have no problem with awarding scholarships based upon merit, but neither race or gender should never enter into consideration, as neither is pertinent.

    18. Re:obvious by ergo98 · · Score: 1

      This is absurd. Except in cases of extreme malnourishment, diet has nothing whatsoever to do with height.

    19. Re:obvious by Dun+Malg · · Score: 1
      This is absurd. Except in cases of extreme malnourishment, diet has nothing whatsoever to do with height.

      Think so, eh? Are you saying all those shorter asians are suffering from extreme malnourishment? Asians aren't "genetically" short, as evidenced by the children of shorter asians who are born in and live in western countries and grow to the same average heights as their european counterparts. A low protein-low calcium diet during the formative years results in shorter height. It's not "malnourishment" by any stretch of the imagination.

      --
      If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
    20. Re:obvious by suprslackr420 · · Score: 1

      Howard Stern, David Letterman, Conan O'Brian...all tall funny guys.

      --
      ubi dubium ibi libertas.
  3. 4" Heels by Ayandia · · Score: 1

    I knew these big shoes would be handy some day. I am an amazon woman, towering over my puny coworkers!

    Mwahaha!

    1. re: 4" heels by ed.han · · Score: 1

      yikes, prepare for an onslaught of messages...

      ed

    2. Re:4" Heels by YanceyAI · · Score: 2, Interesting
      I'm 5'9" without the heels, but I wear them anyway.

      Factor in the fact that women earn .75 to every dollar, and we are typically shorter, I have to wonder if this really is a male/female discrepancy versus a tall/short discrepancy.

      --
      Can I bum a sig?
    3. Re:4" Heels by Jack+Comics · · Score: 0

      Not really. Short men earn even less than short women on average. I.e., I'm male, and 4'10". The same 4'10" woman would earn slightly more. Short men are a stigma in society, and because of that earn less.

      --
      "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde
    4. Re:4" Heels by denjin · · Score: 1

      I guess there could be something there...

      But I don't know if the income discrepancy is the same in all fields. I know at my job I am paid the same as men in my pay range (more actually), so it's not universal.

      Perhaps out of the IT industry it's different? (My last job I was still in IT, but I was paid like 20% more than the male coworkers, who did less work too, so who knows).

    5. Re:4" Heels by stanmann · · Score: 1

      That .75 to the dollar figure includes women who "work" at home Raising children and earning nothing...

      --
      Food not Bombs is a nice platitude but it breaks down when you notice that the Bombees are usually well fed
    6. Re:4" Heels by YanceyAI · · Score: 1

      Actually, im my field (pr & marketing), women tend to earn more than men, but the most recent academic statistics show that overall women earn .75 of what men earn. I'd be interested in knowing the IT statistic, too. Maybe it is fairer than other, older professions.

      --
      Can I bum a sig?
    7. Re:4" Heels by YanceyAI · · Score: 1

      Actually, no, the statisic I'm quoting from a 2001 academic textbook compares the 25 most common professions and does not include people who do not 'earn'. Though some feminists would argue that it is more than appropriate to include women working in the home.

      --
      Can I bum a sig?
    8. Re:4" Heels by platos_beard · · Score: 1

      Well, I think women earn more in the worlds oldest profession.

      --
      What's a sig?
    9. Re:4" Heels by pyros · · Score: 1

      well, working at home and staying at home rearing the children implies two different things to me. The former means the individual has a income, and should therefor be included in an analysis of average incomes. The latter implies no income, and thus no inclusion in such an analysis. So I don't really see a conflict between what the parent post said and the feminists you mention. Now that I write it out I feel like Jon Stewart interviewing Ariana Huffington. I feel like the three of us are arguing over something we all agree on.

    10. Re:4" Heels by eam · · Score: 1

      According to the article:

      "The study, released Thursday, was controlled for gender, weight and age, and found that each inch in height added about $789 a year in pay."

      So, it looks like this is above & beyond any gender, age, or weight inequity.

      At 6'4", I'm OK with this. Of course, my wife is 5'1" so it probably all evens out.

    11. Re:4" Heels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Being over six-four myself, I am fully in support of tall women.

      And as for heels, the taller the better (within reason - don't go twisting anything). I quite like it when my 6' tall girlfriend puts on a pair... :)

      j

    12. Re:4" Heels by Eccles · · Score: 1

      They're farmers?

      --
      Ooh, a sarcasm detector. Oh, that's a real useful invention.
    13. Re:4" Heels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amazon woman? You'll make alot of friends around these parts......

    14. Re:4" Heels by YanceyAI · · Score: 1

      Proving that if we actually read the article, we don't post dumb questions. My bad.

      --
      Can I bum a sig?
    15. Re:4" Heels by pyros · · Score: 1

      ok, when i hit the submit button i was taken to a survey on salary.com. Anyone else see anything like that on this discussion?

    16. Re:4" Heels by Forge · · Score: 1

      A 5'10" male is mearly above average. a 5'10" female is a towering giant.

      If you go by the numbers in the population then a 5'10" female would be equivalent to a 6'4" or 6'5" male.

      --
      --= Isn't it surprising how badly I spell ?
    17. Re:4" Heels by Ptraci · · Score: 1

      I also make more than most of the guys I work with, in a field dominated by men. I believe it's because I work harder and have been doing it longer than most of them. It certainly has nothing to do with height, as i'm only 5'5"

    18. Re:4" Heels by denjin · · Score: 1

      Statistically, yeah I guess 5'10 is quite a bit taller. But I don't feel like a "towering giant". I run into girls taller than myself all the time, especially if I'm working in the city. :)

    19. Re:4" Heels by stanmann · · Score: 1

      can you provide a cite?? or a site... I haven't been able to find the data for that survey, just the quote, and saw in print(times or RD) that it was a flawed survey...

      Apples to chipmunks or suchlike.

      --
      Food not Bombs is a nice platitude but it breaks down when you notice that the Bombees are usually well fed
    20. Re:4" Heels by megan_of_wutai · · Score: 1

      Hmm... average female height=5'6" average male height=5'9"

      How exactly did you come too "equivalent to a 6'4" or 6'5" male."?

      I'm 5'11" and whilst it's pretty rare I do come across at least one other woman as tall as myself most days walking around major cities, even more in London, the place is full of them, most tube journeys I've been on have included at least 1.

    21. Re:4" Heels by megan_of_wutai · · Score: 1

      apart from myself :)

    22. Re:4" Heels by theskipper · · Score: 1

      Ummm, no offense but you did you really intend that last part to read like it did?

      Scarily, I can envision 1000 post-pubescent /.ers drooling on their keyboards at this moment. :)

    23. Re:4" Heels by Lord_Slepnir · · Score: 1
      .75 to every dollar

      Everytime I hear the Feminazis bitching about that on our campus, I have to resist the urge to blugeon them. It's not because women are discriminated against. If anything, they're discriminated for. When's the last time you heard about a men's only scholarship, or an engineering society that's only for men? They'd get hit with discrimination suits left and right. Put things the other way, and suddenly you have an 'equalizor' or something of the sort.

      The reason that women don't earn that much is that there is an entire generation of women that are in their 40s or so now that legitimatly never got the chance to go to college, or had to stop working to raise thier kids, etc. in 30 or so years as they start to retire, that difference will shrink and maybe even go the otherway.

      If you'll excuse me, I'm off to start an engineering society with scholarships that's only for White Anglo-Saxon Men.

    24. Re:4" Heels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you're totally making shit up man. the studies compare men and women in the same profession. a study comparing a male CEO to a female housewife would be incredibly stupid.

    25. Re:4" Heels by el-spectre · · Score: 1

      It does! I'm 6'5" and consistently pay more for bigger clothes... I consider this pay increase a fair thing...

      --
      "Faith: Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel." - A.B.
    26. Re:4" Heels by BladeMelbourne · · Score: 1

      Here in Australia the aveage height of a female is 5'5" and the average height of a male is 5'10"

      I stopped growning at 6'3" (no shoes) - and there is nothing sexier than a good looking, tall brunette. A little shorter than me so when she wears heels I am still a little taller. Mmmm.

      Now where can I upgrade my existing 5'8" woman?

    27. Re:4" Heels by megan_of_wutai · · Score: 1

      There are clinics that do that sorta stuff... also very high heels :) she might not be all that happy about the idea though ;).

      Thankyou for adding another supportive datapoint to my theory of all tall men being attached, heh..

    28. Re:4" Heels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


      I don't know if anyone has ever mentioned this to you, and I hate to bring it up, but you're kind of a jackass.

    29. Re:4" Heels by Lord_Slepnir · · Score: 1
      I'd think of a responce, but I'm on my way to WMASES (White Male Anglo-Saxon Engineers Society)

      and my girlfriend brings it up frequently enough, thank you very much

    30. Re:4" Heels by stanmann · · Score: 1

      And that was the exact point... the .75 to 1.00 figure apparently comes from an "incredibly stupid" study... your words...

      --
      Food not Bombs is a nice platitude but it breaks down when you notice that the Bombees are usually well fed
    31. Re:4" Heels by agallagh42 · · Score: 1

      Well, I'm a 6'6" white guy, and my girlfriend is 5'4" and chinese. Somehow though, we make it work. No need for an upgrade. :-)

      --
      Carpe Cerevisi - Seize the Beer
    32. Re:4" Heels by agallagh42 · · Score: 1

      My girlfriend does the same work I do. I have more experience, but she has more education, so that kind of balances out. I'm 6'6", and she's 5'4". She makes more money than me. So much for that theory...

      Not that I have a problem with that. I kind of like the idea of having a "sugar-momma". :-)

      --
      Carpe Cerevisi - Seize the Beer
    33. Re:4" Heels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      When you fuck her, wouldn't you split her up the middle of her body?

    34. Re:4" Heels by rynthetyn · · Score: 1

      Men not getting special treatment? Maybe not in CS or engineering, but my male elementary education major friends in college would brag about all the special treatment they got from the education department, which will go out of it's way to try to get and keep guys in the elementary ed. major. I, on the other hand, got no special treatment as a female CS major, even though we were just as scarce as guys in elementary ed. (and, I had to put up with rude comments from male CS majors from time to time, whereas the guys in elementary ed got to have tons of girls telling them how great it was that they were in the major).

      --
      Eagles may soar, but weasles don't get sucked into jet engines...
    35. Re:4" Heels by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Doubtful. He said he was a 6' 6" WHITE GUY, not black guy. Probably not hung like a horse.

  4. well duh.. by bigjnsa500 · · Score: 1

    The short ones always go postal.

    --
    This is a test. This is a test of the emergency sig system. This has been only a test.
  5. I think you left out the most important conclusion by Bingo+Foo · · Score: 3, Funny

    It's because tall people are better.

    --
    taken! (by Davidleeroth) Thanks Bingo Foo!
  6. Standard Deviation? by milo_Gwalthny · · Score: 1

    I assume this is $789/year +/- about $25,000.

    More froth than broth, seems to me.

    --
    Milo
    1. Re:Standard Deviation? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      other things:

      we have to remove basketball player from the statistic...

    2. Re:Standard Deviation? by davidstrauss · · Score: 1
      I assume this is $789/year +/- about $25,000.

      I feel sorry for the short person who earns $-24,211.

  7. I wish by latez · · Score: 3, Funny

    I wish I was a little bit taller, I wish I was a baller, I wish i had a girl with a phone I would call her!

    1. Re:I wish by Lakers · · Score: 1

      rofl!!!!

    2. Re:I wish by MattCohn.com · · Score: 1

      Quick question sir,

      Do you wish you had a rabbit in a hat with a bat
      And a six four Impala?

      PS. Wonderful song, great reference.

    3. Re:I wish by latez · · Score: 1

      Hell yeah! sometimes only lyrics can truly express the way we feel about our height.

    4. Re:I wish by Fammy2000 · · Score: 1

      In unrelated news, Skee-Lo sales on iTunes were up 5000% today...

      --
      If I had something intelligent to say, I would have said it.
    5. Re:I wish by drafalski · · Score: 1
      How many girls don't have phones? The actual lyric is:
      I wish I had a girl who looked good I would call her
      Just think of all the years you've been singing the wrong lyrics to the 8 track in your hatchback - I bet Leoshi is still laughing at you...
    6. Re:I wish by badboy_tw2002 · · Score: 1

      Skeelow is dead man, I just heard!

  8. So Why Won't Doctor's Help Short People Grow? by Doug+Dante · · Score: 1

    More height begets more money.
    More money begets better health care.
    Better health care begets a longer, healthier life.

    So why won't doctor's help short people grow?

    --
    The world will not get better through technology. We must seek to be better people.
    1. Re:So Why Won't Doctor's Help Short People Grow? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      because healthy people dont make the hospitals near as much money.

    2. Re:So Why Won't Doctor's Help Short People Grow? by brakk · · Score: 5, Funny

      Because short people couldn't afford it.

    3. Re:So Why Won't Doctor's Help Short People Grow? by log0n · · Score: 1

      Winner!
      First time a slashdot post made me audibly LOL.
      ^5

    4. Re:So Why Won't Doctor's Help Short People Grow? by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 1

      So why won't doctor's help short people grow?

      They do. The US FDA has just approved a big expansion of the range of heights considered appropriate for growth hormone prescriptions.

    5. Re:So Why Won't Doctor's Help Short People Grow? by orasio · · Score: 1

      You could always move to a place where you dont have to be rich to get good health care.

    6. Re:So Why Won't Doctor's Help Short People Grow? by pballsim · · Score: 2, Informative

      Actually they do have something to make you grow. It's for people with a genetic disorder called, achondroplasia. This genetic disorder is an inherited disorder that prevents growth. They use a limb-lengthening technique.

      How it works:
      1. Break your bones in several different places.
      2. Attach metal rods so that your bones stay separated a few cm's aparth.
      3. Let the bones heal.
      4. Repeat until desired height.

      However this is a very painful procedure.

      Source:
      o Genetics Book
      o http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/ghr/disease/achondroplasia

    7. Re:So Why Won't Doctor's Help Short People Grow? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      because healthy people dont make the hospitals as much money.

    8. Re:So Why Won't Doctor's Help Short People Grow? by Jack+Comics · · Score: 1, Interesting

      They do. When I was six years old, I was put on human growth hormone, injected into my body every other day. It was actual growth hormone taken out of average human beings, and injected in those who needed it, like moi. However, it was discovered that some disease or another was being passed around through the human growth hormone - several people that were taking the injections for years died - and a federal judge ordered it to be stopped after I had taken it for about two years. By the time synthetic growth hormone was developed and "proven" to be "relatively" safe, it was too late. Most of my body's bones had already closed due to the onset of puberty, and I became 4'10" for the rest of my life. Not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you.

      --
      "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde
    9. Re:So Why Won't Doctor's Help Short People Grow? by Jack+Comics · · Score: 0

      I was offered that procedure. I said, "Hell no." It would have taken me out of commission from life for about a year to a year and a half, as I would have had to learn how to walk all over again. Being short can be a pain in the ass every now and then, but there are more important things in life.

      --
      "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde
    10. Re:So Why Won't Doctor's Help Short People Grow? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You could be a jockey still.

    11. Re:So Why Won't Doctor's Help Short People Grow? by brakk · · Score: 1

      Or a leprechaun!

  9. I, for one... by Theaetetus · · Score: 1

    welcome our giant overlords, and remind them that, being 6'6", I can be of use in rounding up short people to work in their Big & Tall stores. ;)

  10. Nothing new here by heironymouscoward · · Score: 1

    Tall people earn more.

    Good looking people earn more.

    Good genes are more successful.

    Good genes seek good genes.

    Short men get ugly women.

    And vice-versa.

    Tall geeks still stand a chance.

    But this is old news...

    --
    Ceci n'est pas une signature
    1. Re:Nothing new here by iamweezman · · Score: 1
      Is it really old news that they earn $789/year more?

      Quantifying well known abstractions is valuable in many situations. I'm still trying to figure out the value of this one though. I haven't grown since high school...

    2. Re:Nothing new here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      $789..exactly the same price as my lift shoes.

      Now I'm 8'6", but hey, the extra cash is worth it.

    3. Re:Nothing new here by eam · · Score: 1

      I haven't grown since High School either. However, I was taller than everyone else there when I was in 9th grade, so I don't think it matters.

  11. I'm tall! :-) by HarveyBirdman · · Score: 1

    We also have sharper wits, better abstract thinking skills and vastly larger genitalia. Bow before us, shorties! Mwah ha haaaa! C'mere! I need someplace to put my beer.

    --
    --- Ban humanity.
    1. Re:I'm tall! :-) by HungWeiLo · · Score: 1

      Ah I just spat Cola all over my monitor. Oh wait, I'm too short for that. It ended up all over the keyword and mouse instead. Damn insensitive clod...

      --
      There are a huge number of yeast infections in this county. Probably because we're downriver from the bread factory.
  12. I'm short... by PS-SCUD · · Score: 1

    You insensitive clod!

    --


    "Much work is lost, for the lack of a little more." -Edward H. Harriman
  13. At 6'2".... by BestNicksRTaken · · Score: 1

    I doubt I'm earning more than my 5'0 dwarven boss.

    --
    #include <sig.h>
    1. Re:At 6'2".... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      that's because your spending all your time posting on Slashdot instead of doing REAL work.

    2. Re:At 6'2".... by badboy_tw2002 · · Score: 1

      No but you do benefit from the rule that:

      No woman will ever be seriously interested in a man shorter than she is.

      Thankfully, you and I are taller than all but the biggest women, so we're doing alright. Mr. Shorty Boss can only get midgets.

    3. Re:At 6'2".... by megan_of_wutai · · Score: 1

      ^5'11"

      It feels intensely shallow, but yeah, going out with a shorter guy is... *sigh*... odd, having done it before... it's a real problem though because it rules out most of the male population, which makes the odds of finding someone who's also compatible really low.

    4. Re:At 6'2".... by badboy_tw2002 · · Score: 1

      And see, people thought I was joking. Think about how many women you see with men shorter than they are. Not too many. The only ones I know are a supermodel dating an actor or something. Of course, tall men lose the other side of the spectrum, in that the shorter gals are usually not compatible with them. (And if you do end up dating a shorty, the tall ones get angry :)

    5. Re:At 6'2".... by megan_of_wutai · · Score: 1

      Every man I know taller than me is dating someone shorter than me... if you have normal women to choose from why pick the vertically freakish few ;) I've had men say they'd have less sore necks with me, but they must like neck pain...

    6. Re:At 6'2".... by BestNicksRTaken · · Score: 1

      That's try actually, my boss is married to one of the sand people from Star Wars.

      I couldn't help but grin at the slaughter in Episode II, even better than A New Hope, just for that scene! ;o)

      --
      #include <sig.h>
  14. For now maybe.... by Jhonny · · Score: 1

    Some day.... we short people will get the payment we deserve! Short people rock!

    --
    DUKEY!
    1. Re:For now maybe.... by Kaduco · · Score: 1

      Just remembered two Terry Pratchett quotes (unfortunatly I don't have Feet of Clay or Guards Guards with me so they're not word for word). First is that the size ratio means that short people earn equivalently more money (food and drinks go further). Second, when their waist is as high as your head, your teeth are at an inconvient height for them... and their knees are at the right height to chop off.

    2. Re:For now maybe.... by Blkdeath · · Score: 1
      Some day.... we short people will get the payment we deserve! Short people rock!

      I can see the slogans now ...

      "You've come a long way, tiny!"
      --
      BD Phone Home!

      Shameless plug. Like you weren't expecting it.

    3. Re:For now maybe.... by pyros · · Score: 1

      well at least for now we tall folk can hold our extra earning over you heads.

  15. Dubious Study by mopslik · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I'm always doubtful about studies like this. While they claim that certain variables like weight, gender, etc. were controlled, I suspect there are other variables that come into play here. Did each participant have the same background? Training? Did they choose the same occupation? Do they live in the same area? Blah blah blah.

    This is likely one of those "research causes cancer in rats" conclusions.

    1. Re:Dubious Study by Kierthos · · Score: 2, Funny

      Reminds me of that one Dilbert cartoon where a tall guy is hired and automatically on the executive fast track, because he's tall. He also had 'executive hair'.

      PHB: "We think it will turn silver!"

      Kierthos

      --
      Mr. Hu is not a ninja.
    2. Re:Dubious Study by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Tall people generally have cocks, and people with cocks make more money. The correlation is pretty simple.

      Or maybe they got the cause and effect wrong. Maybe they are tall because they earn a lot of money.

      I'm sticking with the cock theory though.

    3. Re:Dubious Study by Illserve · · Score: 1, Flamebait

      How does gibberish like this get modded up as insightful? The poster has no idea what the word statistics even means.

    4. Re:Dubious Study by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      The poster obviously knows a thing or two about reliability and credibility of inane studies like this. Correlation != causation.

    5. Re:Dubious Study by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Why don't you read the damned study before drawing a conclusion. If they statistically controlled for certain variables then perhaps their inferences are correct. On a more pedestrian level, where have been to not notice that better looking folks get paid more and receive greater attention. Further, if my memory serves the impact of appearance can be felt within the judicial system - better looking people get more lenient sentences. Presumably, height receives similar attention within society.

      Regardless of my little rant...you use the word dubious without citing the error in their methodology. You may in fact be correct, but for now we have to believe in your crystal ball! Idiot.

    6. Re:Dubious Study by TamMan2000 · · Score: 1

      While they claim that certain variables like weight, gender, etc. were controlled

      You really can't control all that, you just have to look at a large enough chunk of people to be confidant.

      For instance, I would not be the least bit surprised if tall people got better grades in school on average (or if they got more attention in class leading to the better grades). Like it or not, this is just more evidence that appearances , while not necessarily important in all encounters, do matter overall...

      --
      "I'll have a Guinness, no wait, make that a Coors Light" -Grad student I work with, who shall remain anonymous...
    7. Re:Dubious Study by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think the point is that the study summary implies that there exists an unfair preference for tall people.

      "These findings are troubling in that, with a few exceptions such as professional basketball, no one could argue that height is an essential ability required for job performance nor a bona fide occupational qualification."

      Which of course, may or may not be true.

    8. Re:Dubious Study by Blkdeath · · Score: 3, Funny
      How does gibberish like this get modded up as insightful? The poster has no idea what the word statistics even means.

      In the general sense it means "Bending numbers to fit your conclusions."

      --
      BD Phone Home!

      Shameless plug. Like you weren't expecting it.

    9. Re:Dubious Study by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I had actually read of a study which found that one's height as a youth (pre-age 15) was a better predictor of earnings than height as an adult and that adult height had no predictive power once youth height was taken into account -- the assumption being that taller young people take on leadership roles, and it is the practice that they get in these roles that leads them to earn higher salaries.

    10. Re:Dubious Study by tmark · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Obviously *you* don't know that much about statistics yourself. You argue that "Correlation != causation". Where in the original post does is causation implied ? The study only claims to show that taller people earn more money, which is a statement purely about correlation, and which is a well known finding anyways.

    11. Re:Dubious Study by mopslik · · Score: 1

      Ahhh, preaching from the blissful safety of being AC? In any case...

      Why don't you read the damned study before drawing a conclusion. If they statistically controlled for certain variables then perhaps their inferences are correct.

      Having read the article already, your complaint is irrelevant. My point is not that they didn't control for certain variables, but that there are far too many variables to control to make this a reliable study. What is one of those tall people had a wicked sense of humour and was given a better position after a great interview? What if another taller individual applied to a company that naturally pays higher salaries? What if a 6'5" person got a promotion due to their work skills? How does one remove all of these factors, in order to conclude that higher salaries come from increased height?

      Of course, you're free to believe what you want to believe, even if it's horribly naive.

    12. Re:Dubious Study by robbway · · Score: 1

      I agree. Something else to consider is that if you took a random sampling of all people, taller people would make a lot more than shorter people. Why? Babies and children are usually shorter than adults and often make nothing.

      It's an obvious conclusion, but I'd like to believe they didn't poll babies' salaries.

      There also has to be a height that is generally considered "freakish" and the pay scale swings back the other way.

    13. Re:Dubious Study by SuiteSisterMary · · Score: 1

      Scott Adams points out in one of his books that in Presidental elections, 80 percent of the winners since some date were the taller ones; the two shorter ones who won had noticably better hair.

      --
      Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
    14. Re:Dubious Study by rot26 · · Score: 1

      What makes it inane? Sociologists spend huge amounts of time learning statistical methods, and you can be sure that they took into account every variable that would matter. Why is it so hard for you to believe that tall people make more money simply by being tall? Being relatively short (5'-8") myself, I don't like it, but I've certainly observed it myself in real life. Look at personal ads, for one blatant example: MANY women (and I don't mean just tall women) prefer tall men. Marketing managers who do the hiring have the same preference (because most of them are shallow narcistic girly-men.) How many successful short-statured politicians can you name (at least since the age of mass media)?

      --



      To ensure perfect aim, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target
    15. Re:Dubious Study by markov_chain · · Score: 1

      Yeah, what if their taller participants were more likely to play professional basketball? I'd say that would skew their results a bit ;)

      --
      Tsunami -- You can't bring a good wave down!
    16. Re:Dubious Study by indros13 · · Score: 3, Informative
      Actually, most scientists are fairly careful to control for all of the circumstances you mentioned. I've seen this information in several other places before, and they do control for those variables. I'm kind of surprised that everyone thinks this is crackpot science, given how height is as obviously a part of a "good-looks" package as attractiveness, and we all know that good looks gets all sorts of advantages.

      For those doubting Thomases:

      • A BBC story on the issue about a study tracking people born March 1958.
      • 1. Full details of this research will appear in Harper, B. 'Beauty, Statute and the Labour Market: A British Cohort Study', Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 62, December 2000, pp773-802.
        2. The study sample of 11,000 people are members of the National Child Development Study. The NCDS cohort study tracks the lives of 17,733 people born in Britain in the first week of March 1958. They are now 42. They were last interviewed in 1991 when the sample had fallen to 11,407.
        Further information For further information, a copy of the full research article or to arrange an interview please contact Barry Harper (details below). London Guildhall University does not have an abbreviation. To avoid confusion with other organisations, please use only our full name. Thank you.
      --
      Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
    17. Re:Dubious Study by cK-Gunslinger · · Score: 1

      Now I'm going to argue with you some. Granted, I am by no means a statistician (nor can I probably spell it correctly.) You seem to be arguing that what if each of those "tall people" has another exceptional quality that lead to their success. Well, that's what a *random* sample is for.

      If you randomly sample 100 tall people and 100 short people and find that 99 of the tall people make >$200K/year and 98 of the short people make $25K/year, you can't make the argument that each of the tall people has something else special, while each of the short people had a debilitating condition. You could if you picked your tall people from a list of top CEOs and your short people from death-row, but then that wouldn't be a random sample, now would it?

      It's randomness that makes conclusions valid. But true randomness is never easy. That's really the "holy grail*" of statistics - getting a truly random sample.

      * I swear I've seen those 2 words at least 8 times today!

    18. Re:Dubious Study by sireasoning · · Score: 1

      This could easily be skewed if professional athletes were part of the study. Professional athletes make outrageous amounts of money and almost all are tall. Even those that appear to be short on tv (compared to the other athletes) are often over 6 feet tall. It would not take too many athletes (with minimum salaries in triple digits) to totally skew the results.

      --
      The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them. -Albert Einstein
    19. Re:Dubious Study by Citizen+of+Earth · · Score: 1

      While they claim that certain variables like weight, gender, etc. were controlled, I suspect there are other variables that come into play here.

      I'd suspect that 'attractive' people earn more money than average, also. Height in men is probably a component of 'attractiveness'.

    20. Re:Dubious Study by MickLinux · · Score: 2, Funny
      Scott Adams... 80% of winners since some date were the tollar ones; the two shorter ones who had won had noticably better hair.

      Wigs and stilts, wigs and stilts.

      Ma, I'm agonna be PRESIDENT!

      --
      Correct Horse Battery Staple: 72 bits of entropy. Enter "Correct H" into google. When it generates the phrase, that's
    21. Re:Dubious Study by mopslik · · Score: 1

      Oh no, I'm not arguing the concept of random sampling, nor its validity. Random sampling, if controlled properly, is a great tool. It's a good point. What I do object to are these studies that span many years and claim that they are, indeed, controlled enough to be trusted. From the article:

      ...four large-scale studies in the United States and Britain that followed thousands of participants from childhood to adulthood.

      Random sampling is great for studies that are guaranteed to be controlled, but how do you control a study group that has various influences, upbringings, teachings, interactions, experiences and whatnot over years or decades?

    22. Re:Dubious Study by Ieshan · · Score: 1

      Because height is a variable that can't concievably be manipulated by wage, we can assume that any correlation between the two works in one of the following ways:

      Greater Height Causes Greater Wage
      Factor X Causes Greater Height and Greater Wage
      Factor X Causes Greater Height, Factor Y Causes Greater Wage, Factor X and Factor Y are correlated

      Since height seems to be a trait heavily dependant on both sex and background, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if there was some Factor X involved (or many of them).

      That being said, I think the original post's misconception is that because Wage increases can never cause Height increases (except under ridiculous conditions), the "easy" answer is that it must work the other way around.

    23. Re:Dubious Study by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 1

      height is a variable that can't concievably be manipulated by wage

      I can concieve it. Wealth -> more+better food -> size -> height.

      Sure, a person's height by the time she's earning serious wages is no longer changable, but that doesn't break the premise. You just have to look at it as an inter-generational cycle. Her children will be taller because she's wealthy, and they will also inherit some non-height factors which increase earnings.

    24. Re:Dubious Study by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 1

      How many successful short-statured politicians can you name (at least since the age of mass media)?

      Arguably, mass-media can help short people become greater politicians. You can't judge height from a talking head on TV. Stage management of televised appearances can conceal real stature.

      Mass-media makes direct, personal communication less important to a candidate who's drumming up support. It can open doorways to a person who's not so good at taking charge in a crowd, but works great in front of the cameras.

      (Look at US President GW Bush to see how mass-media has made his incoherent speech less of a handicap...)

    25. Re:Dubious Study by DarkSarin · · Score: 1

      hmmm.
      It seems that you don't understand statisitics all that well either.

      Saying that Correlation != Causation is a much more powerful statement than you think. It means ONLY that as height increases, so do wages. Nothing more.

      Now the sad part about this study is that they DON'T tell you the strength of that relationship. That is, they tell you how much more (one form of the slope on the plot) a tall person earns, but they do not tell you what the error of that slope is (for those who are statistically challenged, think plus or minus 100 as an example).

      Now this is a useless figure because they don't tell you the amount of errror, or any of the other related statistics.

      In reality, the two factors may only be related by numerical coincidence, or they may be related by something like geographical location (USA vs. the Kalahari). There is simply nowhere near enough information to justify this conclusion, which is a dubious area of research anyway.

      --
      "We don't know what we are doing, but we are doing it very carefully,..." Wherry, R.J. Personnel Psychology (1995)
    26. Re:Dubious Study by Fat+Cow · · Score: 1

      Poor parents => worse nutrition => shorter children

      +

      Poor parents => worse education => poor children

      I wonder if they controlled for that

      --
      stay frosty and alert
    27. Re:Dubious Study by Anonamused+Cow-herd · · Score: 2, Interesting
      While they claim that certain variables like weight, gender, etc. were controlled, I suspect there are other variables that come into play here.

      Yes, obviously, this is the case. It's not like the researchers are jumping to the conclusion that it's wrong that tall people earn more, they leave that to the reader. But consider this: people who are exceptionally intelligent are much more likely to be tall, as well.

      This all probably has to do with the fact that a person who is adequately physically satiated in his formative years (i.e. so as to have enough food/exercise/whatever to grow tall) is also much more likely to have had a well-fostered intellectual development as well.

      So no, it's not a correlation in a void of inexplicable connected correlations, no. But nothing in human behavior is. This is likely one of those "research causes cancer in rats" conclusions.

      And you think that those conclusions are somehow useless or invalid? If it's consistently provable, there's something TO it, whether it fits your "common sense" view of the world or not. That's what research is all about. If it turned out that twitching your left pinky finger frequently resulted in higher cancer rates, I would still think there was something true that we could learn from those results, even though my conception of left-pinky-action has nothing to do with my conception of cancer. If it happens consistently, there's probably a reason for it, and it would do you/us well to accept it =P.

      --
      -----[0_o]-----
      We are not amused.
    28. Re:Dubious Study by CelloJake · · Score: 1

      To do a proper study you should ignore those things, not control them. Making sure that your selection process is not tainted by it is difficult. I am more concerned that this is misinterpereted. There are plenty of legitimate reasons why taller people may make more money, since it is a legitimate advantage in certain fields, just as being smarter, stronger or athletic may be. Thats not to say that being short can't have advantages to, in the right setting. But I think that being tall is more often an advantage.

      I am about average at 6', so I consider myself neither tall nor short. Air force pilots are paid pretty well, but must be somewhat short for most cockpits. However if you end up with even one basketball player in your study, everything will get skewed. There is a long list of jobs for which height is a natural advantage, in addition to the very likely case that tall people are perceived to be superior prejudiciously. That is not to say that a well motivated and hard working person can succeed at most of them with persistence.

      In addition, I would bet money that taller people are more confident on average than short people, due to pressures outside of the workplace as well as inside. More confident people are often more successful.

      -Jacob

    29. Re:Dubious Study by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think the most obvious correlation they didn't control for is childhood nutrition. Poor people would have worse nutrition and be shorter and probably make less money when they are older.

    30. Re:Dubious Study by Ieshan · · Score: 1

      Like I said.

      Causation isn't determinable because there are many possible relationships which could explain the result. The reason "Correlation != Causation" is because the scientists can't determine the direction of the relationship, not because they can't determine that a relationship exists.

      If the two numbers are correlated strictly on a "numerical coincidence", they wouldn't use the word correlated. Most published works move beyond this.

      Geographical Location is a great example of what I was saying - that an outside factor may contribute to a person's height and wage.

      Please re-read my post, thinking from a "hey, this guy might have something to contribue" perspective instead of a "hey, someone else to shoot down with my knowledge of basic level statistics". Correlation, by definition, implies a fundamental level of causality (and therefore, a relationship), but does not attempt to locate that causality. It's a bit like an ANOVA, further tests are needed to find the nature of the relationship.

    31. Re:Dubious Study by Joe+Tie. · · Score: 1

      I have this horrible vision of someone running a wig standing on two stilts as a cannidate, and letting out a soul shrieking "I didn't think they'd actually do it!" after a majority of people actually vote for it.

      --
      Everything will be taken away from you.
    32. Re:Dubious Study by ls+-lR · · Score: 1

      The "control" is all about the group of people you select to observe, not that you actually control them in any meaningful way. The goal is to have the sample sets large enough to make significant conclusions, and chosen to be a representative sample of the whole.

      In fact, you'd want your observations to be as unobtrusive as possible. That's rather the whole point, that you observe but not influence. Ideally, these subjects wouldn't even know that they were used for a study. This obviously isn't ethical in the "observe for decades" case, but when you have anonymous data with enough information it's possible.

    33. Re:Dubious Study by munch117 · · Score: 1

      Poor parents => worse nutrition => shorter children
      +
      Poor parents => worse education => poor children

      And let's not forget:

      Dumb parents => worse nutrition => shorter children
      +
      Dumb parents => dumb children => poor children

      /A

    34. Re:Dubious Study by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, I'd go the other way around. How many short professional athletes and actors, athletes, and models do you see? Those fields probably make a ton more than say, pounding nails in wood.

    35. Re:Dubious Study by mopslik · · Score: 1

      The "control" is all about the group of people you select to observe, not that you actually control them in any meaningful way.

      You've misinterpreted what I was asking. By "control", I meant "control the number of outside influences over the years" rather than "specify the participants' behaviours".

    36. Re:Dubious Study by LurkerXXX · · Score: 1
      Sorry, but your wrong. "Correlation != Causation" is exactly because there is no reason just because there is a corrolation that there is a real relationship. Read that again. There may be *NO* relationship. Just a an interesting coincedence in similarity of numbers.

      If you can't understand that point, you can't understand science. Correlation does NOT imply a level of cusality. It simply implies a corrolation of the numbers. Further tests may find there is NO relationship. Roll some dice a few hundred times, by chance a graph of your results may corrolate with the fluctuation of the stock market during a 6 month period during the 90's. Does that mean there is a relationship between your rolling of the dice and the investment decisions made by millions of stockholders? No. But the numbers may still corrolate. See the problem yet?

    37. Re:Dubious Study by balloonhead · · Score: 1
      These studies have been done loads of times. Similar ones include good looking people getting paid more. And I think they're probably accurate to some extent, though I think there are so many confounding variables that it would be hard to be sure.


      If you think about it, it all makes sense. We're designed for Darwinism, we look up (probably, subconsciously) to our taller, better looking peers, the 'alpha males' of our pride, probably.


      It is of course though a gross generalisation, but I for one welcome our towering square jawed overlords.

      --
      This idea was invented by Shampoo.
    38. Re:Dubious Study by dtrent · · Score: 1


      I'm always doubtful about studies like this. While they claim that certain variables like weight, gender, etc. were controlled, I suspect there are other variables that come into play here. Did each participant have the same background? Training? Did they choose the same occupation? Do they live in the same area? Blah blah blah.

      This is likely one of those "research causes cancer in rats" conclusions.


      Good point shorty.

    39. Re:Dubious Study by tmark · · Score: 1

      but they do not tell you what the error of that slope is ... In reality, the two factors may only be related by numerical coincidence,

      I think it's a reasonable assumption that the relationship is statistically significant. Scientists commonly talk about relationships existing, using this as a shorthand for implied significance, without expressing the exact p-values. If you need that data, you often need to go to the source paper, or at least the source's abstract. By saying "the two factors may only be related by numerical coincidence" you're arguing that the result could be due to chance, which is always a possibility (no matter how small the error). But when a finding is statistically significant, it means the results are unlikely to be due to chance - although HOW unlikely is arbitrary, but prespecified.

    40. Re:Dubious Study by tmark · · Score: 1

      Sorry, but YOU are wrong. The very term corRELATION implies that it DOES test whether a relationship exists. Any signifcant relationship may not be a causal one, and there may not even exist a direct relationship between the two variables, but a statistically significant correlation argues for EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE OF "an interesting coincidence in similarity of numbers".

      In your example, sure there's the possibilty that the relationship you describe might happen by chance (that is ALWAYS possible) but what do you think the likelihood is that such a correlation will be found ? Statistical hypothesis testing of this sort assumes that there is the possibility that the numbers came up by chance, and returns a probability that such a relationship came up by chance, when there really is no such relationship. If someone says a correlation is statistically significant, what they're saying is that the distribution of measurements of the two variables is such that is UNLIKELY (given some arbitrary pre-specified probability) that they happened by "coincidence".

      See the problem yet ?

    41. Re:Dubious Study by jazman_777 · · Score: 1
      Even those that appear to be short on tv (compared to the other athletes) are often over 6 feet tall.

      I'm 5'19" and people say, "wow, you're tall" and I tell them, "I'm just an NBA shooting guard." (by that I mean the height, not the job).

      --
      Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
    42. Re:Dubious Study by Elbow+Macaroni · · Score: 1

      I believe it is true because of the "attractiveness" thing but I also believe that these kinds of studies are very annoying. It's like saying to short people, "don't even try because your shortness will hold you back". And I think that is b.s. There are plenty of short people who make good money too.

      --
      -------------------------------------
      Technically, we are beyond survival.
    43. Re:Dubious Study by Elbow+Macaroni · · Score: 1

      It's called genetics you dumb ass.

      --
      -------------------------------------
      Technically, we are beyond survival.
    44. Re:Dubious Study by Elbow+Macaroni · · Score: 1

      Yeah and blonds have more fun....and women over 40 never marry again....and blah blah blah.
      Let's reinforce our fears and predjudices with bad science.

      --
      -------------------------------------
      Technically, we are beyond survival.
    45. Re:Dubious Study by LurkerXXX · · Score: 1
      "Correlation, by definition, implies a fundamental level of causality (and therefore, a relationship)"

      from your earlier post and then

      "The very term corRELATION implies that it DOES test whether a relationship exists."

      It does NOT test whether the relationship exists, it shows the LIKELYHOOD that a relationship MAY exist. And it certainly says nothing about any causal nature of the relationship.

      "In your example, sure there's the possibilty that the relationship you describe might happen by chance (that is ALWAYS possible) but what do you think the likelihood is that such a correlation will be found ? "

      That is EXACTLY what the correlation is, the statistical likelihood that similarity in two sets of numbers may represent a relationship versus a statistical 'coincidence'. It doesn't test if they are related, only the likelihood. And it doesn't imply or show that there is any causality.

    46. Re:Dubious Study by bpd1069 · · Score: 1

      Intelligence has nothing to do with Height.
      Height has nothing to do with having a active childhood.

      Please don't make some crackpot statement, then build your conclusions based on that assumption. As logical as your reasoning is, the initial assumption is still BS.

      --
      --
    47. Re:Dubious Study by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They didn't account for issues like race. The study took place in Florida, where a huge number of people are inferior indian-trolls. These trolls are not only physically inferior, but intellectually inferior as well.

      It is there place in the natural order to serve in low wage positions; they are incapable of anything else.

    48. Re:Dubious Study by RecoveredMarketroid · · Score: 1

      I think the study was done on the staff of an NBA frachise.

      (That's basketball.)

    49. Re:Dubious Study by Pinball+Wizard · · Score: 1

      Statistics: Asians make more than Blacks in this country.

      Therefore, this study is either racist or dubious. I'll take a guess that it's the latter.

      --

      No, Thursday's out. How about never - is never good for you?

    50. Re:Dubious Study by Lozzer · · Score: 1

      See Noble's Law of Political Imagery

      --
      Special Relativity: The person in the other queue thinks yours is moving faster.
    51. Re:Dubious Study by ergo98 · · Score: 1

      There are plenty of short people who make good money too.

      I'm a 5'6" male (while I did grow up in a very poor household, my height isn't the result of not drinking enough milk or whatever--It's the simple genetic result of one of my great grandparents being a "4' tall Cree indian", as my brother tells it). "Despite" this, I am quite successful in my own business as well as in professional business, and I'd say that my yearly income is in the top 1% (I'm not even remotely bragging, but this relates directly to this article).

      Having said that, this article is right on the money, at least as a statistical whole -- If you are short, just as if you are female, black, overweight, or you have a mole in the wrong place, or you have bad hair, or a bad name, you have to work that much harder to succeed because of society stereotypes and sheep-like behaviour (and you'll constantly be defending your "difference" : What is the one thing that the media made the number one point about Perot as a presidential candidate?). It's for this reason that statistically taller people make more money on a whole, though it can't directly be applied to a single sample. On the flip side if you are 6'2", regardless of perhaps being a total moron you'll be ushered into the management fast track -- The Dilbert cartoon is hilarious, but horribly correct. I am in no way disparaging tall people (nothing of the sort), but the reality is that the more you look like a prototypical "manager" you look, the less ability you have to actually have to fill that role.

      I've oft wondered why this particular stereotype (that taller people are more capable) exists - tall often correlates with weaker as a humorous paradox, so there is no genetic advantage from a combat perspective (if that were important in boardrooms. Of course don't tell tall people that-it's amazing how many 6'6" weaklings fancy themselves real strong men). There is no correlation between height and intelligence, either. I have a few theories about this, though:

      -Shorter people generally have more of a self-confidence issue, and of course in the professional industry the number one success predicate is the ability to have absolutely no self-doubts and an overwhelming "I am God" mentality. You'll more likely find that among the 6'6"ers (as you can see in this discussion)

      -A lot of "old boy's club" have a sports mentality, and the "leaders" on the hockey, football, whatever, were generally larger males.

    52. Re:Dubious Study by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Power..as in a large sample size. Look into this...

      Control in the sense that potentially confounding variables were regressed out still leaving a significant contribution by the variable of interest.

      Article, as is original article - not a newspaper clipping.

      At the very least read one introductory text book on statistics and experimental design.

    53. Re:Dubious Study by tlayne · · Score: 1

      If you read further you'll see that the study was done at an airport bar. It just happened that an NBA team was waiting for a private charter while a group going to a reunion of the munchkins from the Wizard of Oz was waiting to see if they could get standby tickets to Hollywood. This may have skewed results.

      --
      Terry Layne
      Portland, OR
    54. Re:Dubious Study by ppanon · · Score: 1

      I would also add as a possibility:

      Greater Height Causes Factor X Causes Greater Wage.

      Perhaps greater height increases the likelyhood of greater self confidence which leads to taking better paying jobs (i.e. via a greater willingness to take risks or better social networking and negotiating skills).

      --
      Laissez lire, et laissez danser; ces deux amusements ne feront jamais de mal au monde. - Voltaire
    55. Re:Dubious Study by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      a) they said it's controlled for age among other factors.

      b) as you get older, your experience means you usually get paid more, but people shrink as they age and cartilage wears down.

    56. Re:Dubious Study by alexo · · Score: 1


      > ... given how height is as obviously a part of a "good-looks" package as attractiveness, and we all know that good looks gets all sorts of advantages.

      I'd assume that it is more an issue of confidence than of attractiveness.

    57. Re:Dubious Study by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      'Beauty, Statute and the Labour Market:...'

      Could be "stature"?

    58. Re:Dubious Study by ergo98 · · Score: 1

      I can concieve it. Wealth -> more+better food -> size -> height.

      Jesus Christ here is this ridiculous myth again. Height is largely genetic and has absolutely nothing, whatsoever, to do with diet apart from extreme outlier cases (severe malnourishment. Even then you can't say for sure : Many African nations with extreme food shortages yield the world's tallest people). This idea that Jimmy is 6'4" because he ate his wheeties (or conversely didn't drink coffee...love that myth too) is the height of absurdity, and is disproven five billion times over throughout the globe.

      If someone is tall, it's because they're either a natural abberation (just as it could lead to a short person), or they share genetic traits with an ancestor who was tall.

      This whole height thing is brutally easy to understand - If you're short, and we know how that remains one of the "allowed" generalization and stereotype realms, it is much less likely that you'll develop a healthy self-confidence. A healthy or over-self-confidence is the key to business success. It isn't rocket science. I wonder how people who stutter or with a lisp would do on such a wage survey.

    59. Re:Dubious Study by mikiN · · Score: 1

      At 5'19'' == 6'7'' you could probably make it as a forward, height-wise.

      --
      The Hacker's Guide To The Kernel: Don't panic()!
    60. Re:Dubious Study by Dun+Malg · · Score: 1
      Height is largely genetic and has absolutely nothing, whatsoever, to do with diet apart from extreme outlier cases (severe malnourishment)

      Then explain Japan, a nation that's certainly not suffering from "severe malnourishment" where the average height is well under 5'6", but the children of Japanese parents who move to western countries grow to heights consistent with their european counterparts, which is closer to 6'0". Studies* show clearly that there is a relationship between height and intake of protein and calcium during formative years. You claim it's a myth, but cite nothing, stating everything as if it's as plain on the nose on your face. It's not. Just because it makes sense to you doesn't make it necessarily true.

      * Wang, M-C. et al. Diet in midpuberty and sedentary activity in prepuberty predict peak bone mass. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2003; 77:495-503.

      --
      If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
    61. Re:Dubious Study by ergo98 · · Score: 1

      Firstly, let's remember what I was replying to, which is the observation that wealth begets taller children in American families (apparently we're just going to keep getting taller until we're too large for this planet -- screw biological necessity) - an absolutely ridiculous presumption as even the poorest American families have exceedingly adequate nutrition for growth (indeed, some could say too adequate -- the ultra-high fat, particularly the saturated variety, leads to unnaturally early puberty and an excess of growth hormone - this is a serious problem, not a benefit). The average height of Americans hasn't changed in three generations (though everyone still prays that their kid will somehow grow to be 6'4" despite parents that are 5'7).

    62. Re:Dubious Study by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Gee, can anyone spot the Asian with an inferiority complex and a wicked case of denial?

    63. Re:Dubious Study by Dun+Malg · · Score: 1
      Gee, can anyone spot the Asian with an inferiority complex and a wicked case of denial?

      Dude, I'm 6'2" and a mixed German/Turkish/Mongol mutt.

      --
      If a job's not worth doing, it's not worth doing right.
    64. Re:Dubious Study by Elbow+Macaroni · · Score: 1

      Isn't Ross Perot the richest guy in Texas? How tall is he? 5'3"?

      --
      -------------------------------------
      Technically, we are beyond survival.
    65. Re:Dubious Study by Anonamused+Cow-herd · · Score: 1

      umm, dumbass, it has something to do with height. In fact, people have been working to reason out such correlations since the 70s, when they were first collected and analyzed. But thanks for backing up your assumptions with fact when in fact you obviously have never taken any kind of Psychology class, ever. And Height has a lot to do with an active childhood, anyway. If you had a completely inactive childhood, i.e. never moving, you would die, obviously. Anyway, the point was, whatever it is that makes people tall could be the relating link, and I didn't mean to say that being active as a child would necessarily lead to height, which should be obvious to any person who can read the english language.

      --
      -----[0_o]-----
      We are not amused.
    66. Re:Dubious Study by bpd1069 · · Score: 1

      I DID not have an active childhood...
      I AM of above average intelligence...
      I AM 6' 5"...

      Some, not all, Psychologist smoke crack...

      There's your correlation...

      --
      --
    67. Re:Dubious Study by bpd1069 · · Score: 1

      Pardon my reply, just woke up and a bit grumpy.

      Point is, intelligence whatever its source is not related to height, psychologist are dubious in their statistical assertions.

      I believe (notice a believe) that intelligence is more closely related to mental illness rather than HGH, or exercise.

      There is a fine line between genius and madness.

      --
      --
    68. Re:Dubious Study by tmark · · Score: 1

      from your earlier post and then

      umm, get your attributions straight. Once you do that, you'll see that *I* never claimed that a (statistically significant) correlation implies causality. Such a correlation does, however, imply the variables are co-related, hence related (unless you assume that it was a chance event that just happened even though the likelihood is less than your pre-selected criteria, in which case you're not really interested in this sort of hypothesis testing anyways). The meaningfulness of the relationship is always up for interpretation, of course.

    69. Re:Dubious Study by DarkSarin · · Score: 1

      yes I understand all that, but what I was trying to get at is that reporters don't give you that information.

      Somtimes reporters talk about a relationship existing, when a scientist would not. it is similar to the situation with medicine. they do 50,000 runs, and determine that a medicine is effective, but they don't tell you how effective. They never mention effect size or p-values (alpha levels).

      As someone who has a clue about what those things mean, I want to know. I realize that these numbers are not commonly reported because most don't care, but I wish they were reported, because there are a lot of people who would know, and would then be able to make an informed decision.

      As far as correlations, remember that in Taiwan, there is a correlation between the number of electronic devices a couple owns, and the liklihood that they will use birth control. This is an example of what I meant by coincidence. These two are in no way related to each other, in terms of causation.

      That does not mean, and if I implied otherwise in my previous post I apologize for the error, that there is not some third variable causing both, or it may even be two levels back (each being driven by a second factor, and those two factors may be caused by a different one). It also doesn't mean that it is useful in prediction. If you have an incredibly large sample, say 50,000, a very slight correlation (say .08), may be significant, but that doesn't make it very useful. p-values, are, unfortunately, very much affected by sample size (anyone looking at an F-table knows this, but since statistical software is so common, some people will never see another F-table (which is good for me)).

      Thus I reiterate that this research is almost useless. Is it possible to use something like this for prediction. Absolutely, but then you get into construct errors, which is a whole different topic.

      As for significance itself, I like to know the p-value for this reason alone--the .05 alpha level designated as significant is purely an artifact of early statistics, and has no justification other than I don't want to falsely reccomend a procedure, so I'll risk a type II error (falsely accepting the null hypothesis of no difference) 95% of the time.

      It works most of the time, but sometimes you want to be more certain, and other times you don't need to be. My argument is for knowledge of the data.

      --
      "We don't know what we are doing, but we are doing it very carefully,..." Wherry, R.J. Personnel Psychology (1995)
  16. Who Cares? by Cpt_Kirks · · Score: 1

    This may apply in bullshitter-type positions (marketing, sales, management), but for coders, who cares? Nobody really cares if even bathe or shave, as long as we pump out the code.

    I make as much (or more) than tall programmers. As to promotion, who wants to be a PHB?

    1. Re:Who Cares? by ChickenAintDone · · Score: 0

      From the article: [i]The relationship between height and earnings was particularly strong in sales and management but was also present in less social occupations such as engineering, accounting and computer programming, the study found.[/i]

    2. Re:Who Cares? by blitziod · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You may think bullshitter type positions...BUT the fact is that when you are negotiating your pay YOU ARE IN MARKETING for that brief moment. So if tall people do better in marketing then tall people in non marketing fields would make mroe too.

      --
      The only way to bust a doper--is when you yourself become a smoker!
    3. Re:Who Cares? by WTFmonkey · · Score: 1

      The point is that tall people, in general, have more confidence and bearing in the way they carry themselves, leading to all kinds of things like undeserved marks on performance reviews. There's no doubt that confidence influences the way people see you, and the more you have the better you look to other people (at least to the point of excessive arrogance).

    4. Re:Who Cares? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're not being serious are you? If you're working from home, I agree with you. But if you are going to share an office space, then take a bath at least out of consideration for those around you!

      Besides, it's just smart to take some care in your personal appearance. It shows that you pay attention to details, it influences the opinion people hold of you, and thus changes how they treat you. It's just foolish to stick your head in the sand and pretend that it doesn't matter.

      If you can't be bothered to shave or bathe people may extrapolate and assume that you are lazy or careless in your work as well.

    5. Re:Who Cares? by Cpt_Kirks · · Score: 1

      Headhunters handle that for me. TALL ONES.

      As for raises, they tend to be a set percentage (or so I'm told).

    6. Re:Who Cares? by Cpt_Kirks · · Score: 1

      Grunt.

    7. Re:Who Cares? by cyberformer · · Score: 1

      Bullshitter ability is helpful in every job, especially when getting the job in the first place or asking for a raise. When two coders have identical ability and are doing the same job, there's a good chance that the one who is better at spouting BS will be paid more, go on the best junkets and then get the promotion or avoid the layoff.

  17. presidents...0 by blake8087 · · Score: 0

    i can't back this up, but i've heard the taller candidate tends to win presidential campaigns, also.

    --

    --Slashdot readers delight in generalizing the behavior of other Slashdot readers.
    1. Re:presidents...0 by Golias · · Score: 1

      P.J. O'Rourke observed that, going back to Warren G. Harding (the first post-sufferage era president) the majority of women almost always vote for the candidate they would prefer to sleep with. Hence, cowboy Reagan over frumpy Mondale, swinger Clinton over fossil Dole, etc.

      --

      Information wants to be anthropomorphized.

    2. Re:presidents...0 by TamMan2000 · · Score: 1
      I must have composing while you posted, but I guess I will put it here too...

      here is an article on the effects of height in presidential elections.

      A couple of the choice tidbits...

      from 1904-1984 80% of the winning canidates were the taller.

      And only 2 POTUS have been short compaired to average heights of the times...

      Makes me glad to be 6'1"...
      --
      "I'll have a Guinness, no wait, make that a Coors Light" -Grad student I work with, who shall remain anonymous...
    3. Re:presidents...0 by Zeriel · · Score: 1

      Robot Gore vs. Chimpanzee Bush must have been a horrid decision for them, then.

      --
      "America has done some terrible things. But I know that Americans don't cheer when innocents die." -Dave Barry
    4. Re:presidents...0 by bill^2 · · Score: 1

      > Makes me glad to be 6'1"...

      Why? Do you WANT to be President? That's just crazy talk.

    5. Re:presidents...0 by wideBlueSkies · · Score: 1

      I kind of think that Gore would be more of a chick magnet than shrub.

      So WTF happened?

      wbs.

      --
      Huh?
    6. Re:presidents...0 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Gore got a slightly larger vote from women, especially after the Rolling Stone photo which sort of... enhanced... his virility just a little bit.

  18. This explains the offshore outsourcing effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    That's why offshore work is going to India and China but not Africa. They're shorter so it's cheaper!

  19. Things look pretty good from here by inteller · · Score: 1

    ....and I don't consider myself tall.... ...who cares if people are tall, if you can lead them around on a leash (figuratively or literally) it doesn't matter.

  20. It's expensive being tall. by FFFish · · Score: 1

    The various injuries suffered by walking into doorframes, being doubled-up in the back seat of small cars, tripping over smaller people -- they're all expensive.

    I say we should be paying tall people even more. They're suffering, way up there in the sky!

    --

    --
    Don't like it? Respond with words, not karma.
    1. Re:It's expensive being tall. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, and we need the extra money to pay for Tall-size clothes and buy larger vehicles.

      Half seriously. But only half.

    2. Re:It's expensive being tall. by foggi3 · · Score: 1

      dont forget that buying clothes is much more difficult. i rarely find pants that are my length. and the shirts that fit nicely around my chest and shoulders are way to short in the arms.

      --
      ~~
    3. Re:It's expensive being tall. by megan_of_wutai · · Score: 1
      tripping over smaller people

      Yeah, it's always hard to avoid stepping on them, and you feel so guilty afterwards! :)

  21. this is an effect, not cause by Diaspar · · Score: 1

    i would think this is due to different causes. for example, the article implies that being taller is a direct reason for higher pay, when in reality it's a little deeper than that. I would think that probably on average if you are taller you feel more confident about yourself, which comes through in the interviews, thereby usually giving you a little boost in your negotiation terms.
    therefore being taller doesn't necessary guarantee better offer, but the amount of self-confidence (partially due to your exceptional height) usually does.

    1. Re:this is an effect, not cause by MisanthropicProggram · · Score: 1

      Yes, exactly. I've been trying to find a similar study done a while back, and the researchers said the same thing you did. I saw it in The Economist a year or so ago. (When I searched their website, I didn't find it, so I don't have a link.) They said that self esteem growing up was more important. They argued this because of all the short people they also studied who are successful. In other words, the factor that was the same between the successful short group and the successful tall group was the self-esteem they had as a teenager - if I remember correctly.
      They did qualify their findings, though, stating that more studies will have to be done.
      Also, I bet that the news story is over-simplifying the results of the study.

      --

      There is no spoon or sig.

    2. Re:this is an effect, not cause by ComputerSlicer23 · · Score: 1
      Actually height, and more specifically relative height while young, if you were particularly tall when you were young, is correlated strongly with the early development of your brain, and higher IQ's. It's been related to a lot of chemical, and genetic processes that happen early in life that affect you through out the course of your life. I've always liked this fact, that given I was always that tallest kid in grade school. If I recall correctly though, if you end up being 5ft 6in, if you got there by age 10, your are in the "advanced" group. It wasn't purely a height issue, it was how quickly did you reach your final height.

      Kirby

    3. Re:this is an effect, not cause by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'd agree. For myself I fell kind of a cycle.

      I read a study that says tall people are paid more, more successful, get the attention, etc. I'm tall, so I feel good thinking that I have an advantage. My self-confidence has me doing good work, being more charismatic, and other things I wouldn't normally do. Then I get compliments, raises, promotions, etc. and I'm thinking to myself, "Hey, they noticed how tall I am, sweet. I'm gonna really milk this height thing out." Then I pump out another research paper.

  22. Only up to 6'4" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You're too tall. Past studies show the effect only works up to 6'4" and then really tall people suffer.

    Some speculate that some companies have ended up promoting tall people over talent and that has hurt them. A notable example is Sears, whose top executives were known as the "Tall Men" or something close to that (See book The Big Store).

    By contrast, it used to be said about William Morris that the basement had a rack of 36 short suits and you could work there if the suit fit.

  23. What about me.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    But the report is only based upon the UK, and US. Is this type of social bias found in eastern nations as well?

    Regardless being only 5'8" I think I deserve some benefits with school admission etc...

  24. Obligitory by Jacer · · Score: 3, Funny

    if I can figure out how to work the printer..." PC load letter, what the FUCK does that mean?!

    --
    --fetch daddy's blue fright wig, i must be handsome when i release my rage
    1. Re:Obligitory by haystor · · Score: 1

      If the next close call with an asteroid is exactly 6' from the Earth, it will be a whole new ball game for short vs tall.

      --
      t
  25. This is not new by anderm7 · · Score: 1

    Every psychology professor I ever had brought up the point that GPA and Major have no correlation to lifetime earnings, but height does. One even went so far as to say that women tend to make less money on average because they are shorter, and tend to do as well as men their height.

  26. I think Randy Newman said it best... by GoofyBoy · · Score: 1

    Short People got no reason
    Short People got no reason
    Short People got no reason
    To live

    They got little hands
    Little eyes
    They walk around
    Tellin' great big lies
    They got little noses
    And tiny little teeth
    They wear platform shoes
    On their nasty little feet

    Well, I don't want no Short People
    Don't want no Short People
    Don't want no Short People
    `Round here

    Short People are just the same
    As you and I
    (A Fool Such As I)
    All men are brothers
    Until the day they die
    (It's A Wonderful World)

    Short People got nobody
    Short People got nobody
    Short People got nobody
    To love

    They got little baby legs
    That stand so low
    You got to pick 'em up
    Just to say hello
    They got little cars
    That got beep, beep, beep
    They got little voices
    Goin' peep, peep, peep
    They got grubby little fingers
    And dirty little minds
    They're gonna get you every time
    Well, I don't want no Short People
    Don't want no Short People
    Don't want no Short People
    'Round here

    --
    The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
    1. Re:I think Randy Newman said it best... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Phut: Eric Idle (Monty Python) said it better...

      I like Chinese
      They only come up to my knees

      etc

  27. geeks taller than most? by green+pizza · · Score: 1

    Is it just me, or are most geeks pretty tall? Of the 5 people I work with, 4 are over 6'2" and one is about 6'1". I'm 6'4" myself.

    1. Re:geeks taller than most? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, I know a lot of tall geeks, and other successful tall people. My college buddies who are out of jobs are all short.

    2. Re:geeks taller than most? by UserGoogol · · Score: 1

      Well, geekdom has a rather high correlation with social awkwardness, especially in adolescence. Tallness is often an admired trait, but it can also draw unwanted attention, which can increase social akwardness.

      I know Douglas Adams was pretty tall, anyway.

      --
      "Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity." -- Hanlon's Razor
    3. Re:geeks taller than most? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Wow, so on a sampling of 5 people you've extrapolated to the planet? Congratulations. Have you also extrapolated that "most geeks live in my city"?

    4. Re:geeks taller than most? by Student_Tech · · Score: 1

      Not really scientific, but my sophomore year of HS in the computer tech class(at that time 10 people) we had an average height of about 6'0.5". When I graduated from High School we had 2 guys about 6'6", and several others above 6'. (Myself being the average sophomore year, and 6'2" @ graduation). The teacher of this class was one of the shorter people (not counted in the prevous average) at, I think, 5'7"ish. Kinda a top heavy class (both in height and the year in school of the people).

      Funniest thing concerning heights was Yearbook my senior year. We had one person (freshman) whose parents were going to give her $500 if she was over 5' by the time she was 21 (maybe it was 18, I can't remember)(can't remember how close she was to making the goal), and we also had one guy (one of the same guys as the tech class) who was 6'6". A nice big >18" seperation between tallest and shortest in the class.

  28. Yeah, but there are other tricks. by Meat+Blaster · · Score: 1

    Develop better posture. Never look like you're not doing anything. Become indisposable. Clean. Tan. Learn to like golf and kissing ass. Be seen with the right people. Try to get into a lodge. Find religion again.

  29. employment listing by clovercase · · Score: 1

    wanted: programmer with extensive experience in C++. applicants under 5' 2" a plus.

  30. Slow news day? by legcramped · · Score: 1

    Men in general still earn more in many places, for horrible old fashioned reasons. Men are taller.

    Do you see where I am taking this?

    1. Re:Slow news day? by Enzondio · · Score: 1

      If you'd read the article you would know that they controlled for gender.

  31. "I wish I was taller." by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's a Ziggy!

  32. AND??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yes, and women are also supposed to earn much less over the course of a lifetime.

    But the real question is, what can we do about this? Does the article suggest that wearing platform shoes would result in a pay raise? Or that standing on tip-toes all day would be the most lucrative form of exercise?

    I've heard theories that the income difference between women and men is due to women dropping out of the workforce at some point to have children. This means that a woman at age 50 would only have experience comparable to a man of age 40, and would get paid as such. Can anyone think of a similar theories to explain the height discrepency?

    1. Re:AND??? by Beavis! · · Score: 1

      I can see it now... stack heels will become all the rage amongst the IT set.

      --
      I try to be fu
    2. Re:AND??? by blitziod · · Score: 1

      The incomes between men and women are equal WHEN controlled for time in, education , hours worked ina week,job title, etc. Women's incomes when adjusted for these factors caught up with men's many years ago.

      --
      The only way to bust a doper--is when you yourself become a smoker!
    3. Re:AND??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nope. It is due to men being more productive.

    4. Re:AND??? by Short+Circuit · · Score: 1

      Made of stackable switches, of course.

  33. Re:I think you left out the most important conclus by Cpt_Kirks · · Score: 1

    Tall CHICKS maybe. Love them long legs...

  34. Simple reason by wowbagger · · Score: 1

    pack .tongue -in .cheek

    There is a simple reason that tall people earn more.

    We are better educated.

    We are better educated because, in school, we could see the blackboard, while the shorter people couldn't see the blackboard because of us.

  35. gee, you don't say by Illserve · · Score: 2, Funny

    This of course comes as a surprise to noone under the 5'5" mark.

    What's funny, or perhaps expected, is that tall people are, as a rule, blissfully unaware of the advantages their height affords them. They bitch about trivialities like fitting into movie seats while attractice girls fling themselves at them and they command undue attention in a conference room.

    And if one of us shortish people brings it up, we're told we have a "Napolean complex", as if they even know what that means apart from that Napolean was also kind of short.

    1. Re:gee, you don't say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They bitch about trivialities like fitting into movie seats while attractice girls fling themselves at them

      I'm 6'5" - where do you live?

    2. Re:gee, you don't say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      All this whining.... what do you have? some sort of Napolean Complex or something?

    3. Re:gee, you don't say by JUSTONEMORELATTE · · Score: 4, Funny

      This of course comes as a surprise to noone under the 5'5" mark.

      What's funny, or perhaps expected, is that tall people are, as a rule, blissfully unaware of the advantages their height affords them. They bitch about trivialities like fitting into movie seats while attractice girls fling themselves at them and they command undue attention in a conference room.

      And if one of us shortish people brings it up, we're told we have a "Napolean complex", as if they even know what that means apart from that Napolean was also kind of short.


      Easy there little fella. Why don't you cool down, maybe take a walk.

      Could ya fetch some coffee while you're up? Us grown-ups have some serious work to do here.

      So long, Karma. It's been fun
      --

    4. Re:gee, you don't say by Kyller · · Score: 1

      I may be blissfully unaware, but your a whining little bitch.

      600 children die of starvation every day in Ethiopia...

      Suck it up Napolean.

    5. Re:gee, you don't say by stanmann · · Score: 1

      Actually It could be refered to as an Hitler complex... Since Napolean and Hitler were both short and made parallel stupid mistakes in their efforts to overcompensate... Something about russia in october..

      --
      Food not Bombs is a nice platitude but it breaks down when you notice that the Bombees are usually well fed
    6. Re:gee, you don't say by spyfrog · · Score: 1

      "while attractice girls fling themselves at them".

      Yeah. Right. What planet do you live on?
      I am tall and I have never seen me having this effect on women.

      Sir, I demand some proof of this theory.

    7. Re:gee, you don't say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I, as someone who is 6'2", see most of the advantages of being tall. But, attractive women aren't flinging themselves at me, at least not too often (I get plenty of attention, but no dates). I'm a decent looking guy, and I'm not totally boring or anything and have an active social life. But I'm a 25 year old virgin for crying out loud. I can't get a girl, I think that's reasonable enough to be able to bitch about, no? Meanwhile, my shorter friends all got girlfriends and/or get laid plenty. It's not like I don't try, either.

      *shrug*

      we all got it tough in one way or another.

    8. Re:gee, you don't say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sounds like somebody has a Napolean complex...

      or maybe just a case of the Mondays. (er... in spite of the fact it's Friday)

    9. Re:gee, you don't say by Dynedain · · Score: 1

      What's funny, or perhaps expected, is that tall people are, as a rule, blissfully unaware of the advantages their height affords them. They bitch about trivialities like fitting into movie seats while attractice girls fling themselves at them and they command undue attention in a conference room

      Why dont you go band yourself around the head a bit with the sharp corner of a plank of wood. Now you know what it's like to hit your head on oepn cabinets. Try stuffing yourself into a suitcase the next time you fly. Now you know what its like to sit in an airplane for 6 hours and not even be able to put the tray down. We get sick of everyone asking us to take stuff down from high shelves for them. You put it up there! Go get a chair you lazy slob! A Napolean complex is when short people get overly extroverted, controlling, etc., as a way to make up for their height. (I know many short people, and even had a midget as a roommate...its not true of all short people but it is for a vast majority). Being tall is not all advantageous, and the disadvanatages are not trivalties. You know those nifty docker pants that are geek friendly? (the ones with the extra cellphone/pda pockets in the seam?) They don't exist in my size. There are cars I physically cannot drive, and others that I can't even ride in. Oooh, so you have to ask for a booster-seat at the restaurant. I've been to restaurants where my knees lift the table off the ground. Oooh, you have to stretch slightly to be comfortable washing dishes in the sink, I have a bad back from bending over to do the same. You can shop in the kid's department (which is cheaper). I have to pay a premium for larger sizes. Oh, and btw, Big and Tall usually means just that, AND, rarely ever does it mean OR; which means that close are always huge and loose.

      You do have a Napolean complex.

      --
      I'm out of my mind right now, but feel free to leave a message.....
    10. Re:gee, you don't say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      600 children die of starvation every day in Ethiopia...

      And not a one of them over 6 foot...coincidence???

    11. Re:gee, you don't say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Just tell all the ladies that you're even taller on your back.

    12. Re:gee, you don't say by RobotRunAmok · · Score: 1
      What's funny, or perhaps expected, is that tall people are, as a rule, blissfully unaware of the advantages their height affords them. They bitch about trivialities like fitting into movie seats while attractice girls fling themselves at them and they command undue attention in a conference room.

      ...And then there are the people whose height is not immediately apparent because they are disabled and ride around in wheelchairs. Sneaky, undue-attention-commanding bastards!

      (Your glass is half-full, son, not half-empty. Drink up!)

    13. Re:gee, you don't say by SpacePunk · · Score: 1

      Don't ya know that the wider the waist size is, the shorter the person? Being 6'5", I have to order my clothing, and then there's the sleeve length issue. And then there's the problem that I can't wear matching pajama's because Underoo's don't come in my size.

    14. Re:gee, you don't say by protohiro1 · · Score: 1

      No one is arguing that being very tall is not inconvenient. I do think that being abnormal physically is difficult for anyone, but I really hate the whole napolean complex thing. I personally have only met one short man that fit this description. I think in actual fact some short people are insecure assholes. Just like some tall people. Or average people.

      Being very tall or very short is a drag, because the majority of the world just isn't trying to accomidate you. I'm 5'3" and my biggest complaint is The Gap. The good news is they carry pants that fit me. The bad news is that they oh so cleverly shelve the pants with the shortest inseams on top, and the longest on bottom. Who thought of that? I can't reach the pants that fit. I have to go find someone who works at the store to get them down for me, while very tall people are hunched over on the floor looking for their pants. Grr.

      BTW, I have a girlfriend, and I think she's pretty attractive. But I don't think I've ever seen her fling herself at me.

      --
      Sig removed because it was obnoxious
    15. Re:gee, you don't say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe you're tall, but ugly too?

    16. Re:gee, you don't say by Minna+Kirai · · Score: 1

      they command undue attention in a conference room.

      Height exaggerates social-skill tendencies. Tall people in a group are more visible than others, so both their successes and failures have a larger impact on percieved ranking in the community.

      A tall person can either gravitate to the center-of-attention, flourishing in the light, or be pushed to the edges as a wallflower (where he won't obstruct the masses' view of the adored leader). There is less opportunity to be just a face in the crowd- you're a lead role, or you're nobody.

    17. Re:gee, you don't say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ok, i read your reply to another post. The problem is, you're a loser. You also sound whiney, chicks don't dig that.

      It's not like I don't try, either.
      Maybe you try too hard? Repeat after me:
      "She wants you, to want her to get you to want her."
      That's complicated, and to many of the older girls here, sounds stupid (and it is, he's 25, chicks his age are still like that). Let me break it down for you, she likes to chase you.

      Anyway, quit being a wuss, maybe make some new friends that aren't nerds. Don't, i repeat, don't for the love of god, ever, tell her you're a computer nerd. Its not cool, chicks don't dig it. Be one, thats fine, perhaps put a different spin on cool.

      For example, I bought a new computer. But instead of buying a giant full tower with a bunch of windows and neon lights and telling her all about my awesome processor or how fast I can compile my kernel, I bought a Shuttle. Its looks like a little cube (ok, a rectangular prism to be exact) and its shiney. She digs it, it looks good, and it only has 1 fan, so you can still hear the TV.

      She doesn't care whats in it, only that its shiney and looks good. She has other interests, computers aren't one of them. And don't hold out for a computer girl, she's just gonna be boring. Plus, the likelyhood is that you will never find one that is both attractive and really into computers. As soon as I stopped hanging around computer people I found out just how smart, AND attractive a lot of other people are.

      The point is, don't be a nerd.

    18. Re:gee, you don't say by MKalus · · Score: 1

      Who thought of that? I can't reach the pants that fit. I have to go find someone who works at the store to get them down for me, while very tall people are hunched over on the floor looking for their pants. Grr.

      Climb on their backs?

      But I don't think I've ever seen her fling herself at me.

      Because she would trip?

      Okay okay, I am bad, bad, bad. I shut up now.

      --
      If you want to e-mail me, use my PGP Key.
    19. Re:gee, you don't say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      damn whiney short people.

    20. Re:gee, you don't say by Dynedain · · Score: 1

      AMEN to that!

      Oh, I do have a smart attractive girlfriend who likes her computers cute, shiny, and able to get incredible fps in StarCraft. She's a computer geek, a gaming geek...but I didn't use geeky things to attract her, and she doesn't hang out with many geeks either.

      --
      I'm out of my mind right now, but feel free to leave a message.....
    21. Re:gee, you don't say by foggi3 · · Score: 1

      I do have a smart attractive girlfriend who likes her computers cute, shiny, and able to get incredible fps in StarCraft. I like korean girls too. ^^

      --
      ~~
    22. Re:gee, you don't say by Dynedain · · Score: 1

      Actually, she's originally from Hong Kong, but as American as they come.

      --
      I'm out of my mind right now, but feel free to leave a message.....
    23. Re:gee, you don't say by BigGerman · · Score: 1

      ditto.
      The world stops at pants size 38 / 34.
      But bless that Dodge the only brand we tall rich people can get in / out easily.

    24. Re:gee, you don't say by dswensen · · Score: 1

      I'm 6'6", could you point some of those flinging-themselves girls over to me? Thanks.

      And being tall is not without its own disadvantages, such as people rudely asking "how tall ARE you?" in the same tone as "WHAT is that thing on your nose?", not to mention the endless queries of "so you play basketball? Why not? Bump your head a lot, do you? Why not?"

      Plus, I personally would have given a lot to be short the last time I had to take a 24-hour bus trip across the country with my knees jammed under my chin.

    25. Re:gee, you don't say by McAddress · · Score: 1

      I'm 3'2", you insensitive clod!

    26. Re:gee, you don't say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Dude chill out. I'm 5'0 and I can say almost every one of those complaints apply to me.

      1) Airplane seats are designed for average sized femurs. Mine are way below that, and so I have to slouch, or my feet will stick straight out (neither one comfortable)

      2) Sometimes there isn't a chair. And asking people for help is immasculating (my issue, not yours... but you did bring it up)

      3) I *never* find pants that fit. Believe it or not, they don't make many below 28 inseam. I pay $10 to get it tailored for every pair. Probably works out the same.

      4) Try driving a car then your feet don't reach the pedals, and because of airbags the seat doesn't scoot forward far enough.

      Face it, the world is made for average people. The rest of us are screwed.

      (And BTW: Nobody ever asks for booster seats at a restaurant. Gimme a break.)

    27. Re:gee, you don't say by thegnu · · Score: 1

      //But I don't think I've ever seen her fling herself at me.

      i've had women fling themselves at me and believe me, it hurts.

      --
      Please stop stalking me, bro.
    28. Re:gee, you don't say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      we call your 'napoleon complex' short man's disease... usually when a short man is hell bent on proving he's better than everyone else through talking louder or working out to be bigger. women often confuse this as small penis syndrome (a similar complex but more often expressed via the wallet).

    29. Re:gee, you don't say by chialea · · Score: 1

      I've had good experiences with Volvo, as well. It might depend on the model -- I have one of the last of the Boxy Car ones. I'm only 5'9", ~34" inseam, but my dad is 6'5" and all legs, and he likes it too. YMMV :)

      Lea

    30. Re:gee, you don't say by quantaman · · Score: 1

      And if one of us shortish people brings it up, we're told we have a "Napolean complex", as if they even know what that means apart from that Napolean was also kind of short.

      btw sorry to tell you this but Napolean was actually tall for his day...

      --
      I stole this Sig
    31. Re:gee, you don't say by megan_of_wutai · · Score: 1

      It's not a be all end all thing... a bonus...

      Most people even have some height as a requisite threshold, although usually height=>me or me

      Oh, btw, the female equivalent to basketball question is "are you a model".... equally annoying...

    32. Re:gee, you don't say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Aha! See, the tall person replying gets higher moderation than the short guy who posted the parent.
      Even on Slashdot...

    33. Re:gee, you don't say by ChaseTec · · Score: 1

      This of course comes as a surprise to noone under the 5'5" mark

      What's funny, or perhaps expected, is that tall people are, as a rule, blissfully unaware of the advantages their height affords them. They bitch about trivialities like fitting into movie seats while attractice girls fling themselves at them and they command undue attention in a conference room.

      People that complain about their height are usually at least my height (6'6") or greater. You're probably right about girls flinging themsevles to slightly taller then average men but at my height a lot of the extra women are little old ladies that need help getting something at the grocery store. I've never had a problem with a movie seat myself but rental cars and airplanes can be an issue. I'm forced to spend my "extra" income on things like larger rental cars and special ordering clothes.

      And if one of us shortish people brings it up, we're told we have a "Napolean complex", as if they even know what that means apart from that Napolean was also kind of short.

      Yea, sure. You don't know fun until you're extremely tall and you run into a short person with a chip on their sholder that decided to compensate by becoming a cop. I bet if you run some numbers cops are shorter on average then the general population.

      And for other benifits; If what I've read is true extremely tall people have shorter life spans and usually develop knee and joint problems. If you get past the chip on your sholder you'll find that attitude and brains plays a larger role in getting attention in a conference or picking up women.

      --
      My Hello World is 512 bytes. But it's also a valid Fat12 boot sector, Fat12 file reader, and Pmode routine.
    34. Re:gee, you don't say by Elwood+P+Dowd · · Score: 1

      Handsome Cute

      Smart Clever

      Natural Leader Napolean Complex

      Strong Wiry

      Tall folks are perfectly aware of the shit y'all have to go through. Either that or they're morons. (And no, they don't have a monopoly on morons.)

      --

      There are no trails. There are no trees out here.
    35. Re:gee, you don't say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Old news... just like good looking people (women usually) bitching about how they're not taken seriously, when in fact, they have so many more natural advantages over regular looking people to MORE than offset this perceived 'problem'. Cry me a fucking river.

    36. Re:gee, you don't say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Being 6'5" myself I get asked "Can you get that off the top shelf for me?" If I asked a "short person" "Could you get that off the bottom shelf please" I would bet that I would insult that person. BTW the weather up here is fine.. hows the weather by my ass?

    37. Re:gee, you don't say by fuzdout · · Score: 1

      Yah? Well being short isn't so nice either..Average is best, but at 4 foot 8 inches tall I get people asking the same thing "how tall ARE you?" in the same way you described and "are you a midget?", "why are you so short?"..Not to mention all the people that think I am a 12 year old kid because of my height. I am 21, but I wouldn't dare buy liquor for fear of being carted. The other month, I went to buy some glue for my rearview mirror that fell off in my van and because it is a toxic glue they checked my ID and I could just see the Wal-Mart lady's suspicious "is this a fake ID?" glare.. Chairs and seats are often uncomfortable as I can't sit and lean back or my feet don't touch the ground, took forever to find a vehicle that had the cargo room I need and yet still be able to reach the pedals and see over the steering wheel. In fact some cars that look small have these low bucket seats that I couldn't see over the dash-board in. Using chairs and step-ladders all the time in every-day life gets very annoying..Just to reach dishes out of the cupboard, or file stuff in the top cabinet at work..Not to mention not being able to reach things in the store on the top-shelf..Finding and getting clothes is a real PITA -try finding something in the kids isle that doesn't have SpongeBob Squarepants on it? That isn't cutesy and childish? Or a business suit? Or shoes without Poke'mon? There are even counters at businesses that I can't even see over (as the case with a ToGos restraunt I was in some weeks back)..While I wouldn't think being overly tall is much better and definately has it's disadvantages being truly short sucks big time..
      Oh, and as for how other people treat you? You are either ignored by customer-service personnel in the store(likely not even seen next to a tall person), or talked down to like a small child, if you are with a normal size person you are *ALWAYS* mistaken for being their child, and well, er you have this problem with women treating you like some sort of cute "squeak toy" or "child substitute"..Er don't mistake it, they don't want to have sex with you any more than their pomeranian dog..It's more like "can I tie a big pink bow around your neck and stick you in my shopping cart?" Your risk of being mugged, or generally robbed is higher since you automatically are an "easy looking" target..Growing up is worse, it's insanely fun to pick on little people.
      Anyway, I am babbling at this point, but my point is being short ain't cool.

      --
      Fuzdout
      ..My sig ran away. Has anyone seen my sig?
    38. Re:gee, you don't say by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Napolean was tiny... not kind of short. bitch

    39. Re:gee, you don't say by maw · · Score: 1
      The best response for "Do you play basketball?" I've found is "No, do you play mini-golf?".

      I got that one from my cousin who's slightly taller than I am.

      --
      You're a suburbanite.
  36. no surprise here by jefe289 · · Score: 1

    This just confirms what we short people have known all along: that people who you *literally* look up to, you normally look to be a leader. I think it is an artifact that literally comes from our evolutionary history. The biggest wolf in the pack, the strongest caveman of the tribe, etc. Tall people have a very real "management appeal."

  37. Trends by tsanth · · Score: 1

    This story reminds me of a show on Discovery (or was it TLC) about how attraction affects human relations. The show called to mind how General Custer was a poor general, yet got to his position only by having "the general's look." Similar cases were called upon for other historical figures (whose names escape me at the moment).

    I imagine that this alleged bias toward taller people is just something akin to that, if not the same thing (but on a slightly different trait).

    The article didn't mention anything really useful (or, at least, anything I haven't heard of before); what would have been better would have been a link to the paper itself. I guess I'll have to wait for the spring issue of that psychology journal.

  38. Old news? by DrCode · · Score: 1

    I think I read the same thing about 20 years ago. It's also been long noted that almost every US president has been taller than average.

    Anyway, that's life. I'm short, but make up for it by being a good coder. And I never have back problems, while I notice lots of taller people do.

    I guess it would be ideal if I could be tall, smart, athletic, funny, and sensitive. Then I'd make loads of money and have hundreds of women after me. But then I might catch an STD and die a slow, painful death. So maybe I should just try to be happy with how I am.

  39. Cube farmer by fussman · · Score: 0

    anybody remember the cube farmer from Dilbert? It was a short-lived thing in which taller people "grew out of their containers" and were transfered to bigger containers (offices).

    --
    Support Israeli punk bands. Man Alive.
  40. women on /. by thegnu · · Score: 1

    a ha heh heh....
    just when i was feeling comfortable among my gas-passing, dangly-bejeweled bretheren.

    and and amazon woman, no less. ah, nerves.

    --
    Please stop stalking me, bro.
  41. 10 PRINT History:GOTO 10 by Asprin · · Score: 1


    Urban legend, this fact may be, but I was told in the late 80's by one of my professors that the only factor research could correlate to success was height.

    --
    "Lawyers are for sucks."
    - Doug McKenzie
  42. Of course they didn't... by AzrealAO · · Score: 1

    the compared the average salaries of a few 6'6+ NBA Basketball players, and a couple of 5'4" guys working the maintenance shift and the Sip'n'Save.

    1. Re:Of course they didn't... by mc_wilson · · Score: 1

      They both had the same background. They both have a high school education!

  43. The explination! by DaLiNKz · · Score: 1

    Tall people are easily seen, thus all the mindless people who need assistance see their head bopping above the cubes and calls for them! then later gets a raise for his good work.

    --
    I've left to find myself. If you happen to see me, please, keep me there until I return.
  44. In other news... by Bob+Cat+-+NYMPHS · · Score: 1

    The IRS now recognizes elevator shoes as a legitimate business deduction.

  45. Non Politically Correct Title: by stienman · · Score: 1

    The title that hit the cutting room floor for this newer, politically correct title is, of course:

    "Shorter People Earn Less"
    A new study shows that shorter people earn an average of $789 less per year than their taller counterparts.

    -Adam

  46. In related news... by evil_one · · Score: 1

    Cars with big tires go farther than hatchbacks, 100-Base over Yellow CAT5e is better than 100-Base over fibre, and Italian Amaretto lasts longer than American Amaretto.

    Lets pull more unprovable crap out of a hat now, ok?

    --
    Desperation is a stinky cologne
    1. Re:In related news... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Lets pull more unprovable crap out of a hat now, ok?

      Like the existance of god, perhaps?

      Nah, I don't like fairytales either.

  47. My boss is 6'7. by Lester67 · · Score: 1

    He's a multi-billionaire.

    I guess I need to work for a company where 6'3 is the tallest. :-)

  48. Re:Hi by Cpt_Kirks · · Score: 1

    According to modern business ethics, eating poo should lead to earning *MORE*.

  49. this is dumb by Adolf+Oliver+Bush · · Score: 1

    im sure i could do a study to figure out that brown eyed left handed one legged people make more money than blue eyed right handed two legged people.

    can i have a grant now?

    --


    This post cannot be re-broadcast without the express written consent of Major League Baseball.
    1. Re:this is dumb by Peyna · · Score: 1

      The best relevant connection I could draw would be something along the lines of that healthier people tend to be taller (i.e. The Netherlands), and healthier people tend to have more money (which is probably why they are healthier), and since they have more money, they probably could afford higher education and therefore make more money.

      Anyway, I think you'll see a better connection along those lines. It's probably not entirely random.

      --
      What?
    2. Re:this is dumb by JUSTONEMORELATTE · · Score: 1

      im sure i could do a study to figure out that brown eyed left handed one legged people make more money than blue eyed right handed two legged people.

      can i have a grant now?

      That depends. How tall are you?

      --

    3. Re:this is dumb by mariox19 · · Score: 1

      Can you "have a grant now"? No!

      You must first write up what it is you intend to study in 50-100 pages of arcane language -- I believe it's called "double-plus-good duck-speak," or something like that.

      They sell courses that teach you how to do that. I would invest in a course if I were you, because the idea you propose sounds as legitimate as many, many other grants. You just need to learn how to package it appropriately.

      But that half-assed "gimme please" plea you submitted to /. just won't do.

      Get to work, and good luck to you!

      --

      quiquid id est, timeo puellas et oscula dantes.

    4. Re:this is dumb by ls+-lR · · Score: 1

      Any study without proper statistical sampling (which you don't seem to be familiar with) would be laughed at by academic journals.

    5. Re:this is dumb by Adolf+Oliver+Bush · · Score: 1

      >Any study without proper statistical sampling (which you don't seem to be familiar with) and on what do you base that (incorrect) assumption?

      --


      This post cannot be re-broadcast without the express written consent of Major League Baseball.
    6. Re:this is dumb by ls+-lR · · Score: 1

      Because you made a claim to be able to show some nonsensical correlation, presumably based on finding a single isolated incident that fits your pattern.

    7. Re:this is dumb by Adolf+Oliver+Bush · · Score: 1

      >Because you made a claim to be able to show some nonsensical correlation, presumably based on finding a single isolated incident that fits your pattern.

      well exactly. Through my example, I was making that same point about the original article. taking some arbitrary correlation then finding data to back it up.

      and even with my more extreme example, im sure i could get a sample group in the tens of thousands, given the proper resources.

      whatever.

      --


      This post cannot be re-broadcast without the express written consent of Major League Baseball.
    8. Re:this is dumb by ls+-lR · · Score: 1

      And that's exactly my point as well. To be a legitimate sample set, it must be representative of the whole. If you select the sample set such that certain groups are over- or under-represented for the purposes of highlighting some correlation, then it's no longer a valid statistical argument.

      It's like me flipping 100 coins, and then selecting two that landed heads-up and one that landed tails and then concluding, "well, two thirds of THESE coins landed heads, therefore I've shown that coin flips tend to land heads-up 66% of the time." And sample size has nothing to do with it, I could flip one million coins, select 300,000 of them that landed heads and 100,000 that landed tails, but that doesn't mean the coin has a 75% chance of landing heads.

  50. No wonder why.. by MongooseCN · · Score: 1

    ..Gary Colemans career never took off.

    1. Re:No wonder why.. by cK-Gunslinger · · Score: 1

      Well, it does put the recent California election in a new light. =P

    2. Re:No wonder why.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yet Arnold isn't exactly tall - 5'10" maybe? Go and watch Terminator - he's a good three inches shorter than just about everyone else in the bar that always is in the beginning.

  51. Long legs. bah! by typikalteen · · Score: 1

    You just can't seem to throw tall women around in teh sack as easily as short ones

    1. Re:Long legs. bah! by orasio · · Score: 1

      But you can do it standing, thats reeaaal nice.
      And their asses are higher, so you dont have to bend to grab them.
      Tall women rock!!

    2. Re:Long legs. bah! by SquadBoy · · Score: 1

      Yes they do

      http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF -8 &oe=UTF-8&safe=off&q=julie+strain&sa=N&tab =wi

      --

      Cypherpunks: Civil Liberty Through Complex Mathematics. Those who live by the sword die by the arrow.
    3. Re:Long legs. bah! by shotgunefx · · Score: 1

      Having dated someone 6' tall and someone 5'1, I can say they both have their pluses. Being with someone tall, love those long legs,but I have to stand up fucking straight as I'm only 6' myself. Certainly harder to throw them around.

      Being with someone 5'1 , I feel like Godzilla :)

      --

      -William Shatner can be neither created nor destroyed.
  52. The sample set... by ZeroConcept · · Score: 1

    NBA players ;)

  53. Could be... by donmiguel42 · · Score: 1
    I'm 6'6" and I ended up getting hired for a LOT more money than my boss's boss said I should have been. Dunno if it was height so much as my l33t skillz, though. ;)

    I guess many are very intimidated by taller people and it's a kind of unintended bullying on our part that results in us taking the company's lunch money, to draw a comparison. I dunno why that is. But I'll take it.

  54. That's the truth... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm 6'5"... and I only blow my load inside of tall sexy bitches.

    Shit, the child support bills are making the fact that I earn more irrelevant.

  55. Tall people die sooner too!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Besides as a larger person there is more blood, more surface area and more oxygenation required, thus more blood pumping..

    Your heart works harder and you die younger... :)

    1. Re:Tall people die sooner too!!! by xintegerx · · Score: 1

      I've read that taller people are better at cardiovascular activities than short people. And there are many of those.

  56. short people can work in smaller cubes by clovercase · · Score: 1

    so you dont have to pay them as much, and they don't require large cubes. in the eyes of management, a midget programmer would be best, they could work for pennies in a shoebox on the shelf!

  57. Misleading by JRSiebz · · Score: 1

    It is obvious that tall peole earn more money. let us think, who are the tallest people...hmmm. Atheletes. They earn tons of money and are generally big & tall people. How many programmers do you know have 100 million dollar contracts and multimillion dollar signing bonuses?

    1. Re:Misleading by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They are atheletes, yes. They are taller, ok. They earn more, sure.
      What's misleading about that?

    2. Re:Misleading by JRSiebz · · Score: 1

      Not mentioned in the posted story. Seems to assume that it is talking about office folk ;-)

  58. and eventually by SweetAndSourJesus · · Score: 1

    We're left with a race of people who are thirteen feet tall and stunningly beautiful.

    Creepy.

    --

    --
    the strongest word is still the word "free"
    1. Re:and eventually by heironymouscoward · · Score: 1

      Compared to chimps, this is already pretty much the case.

      --
      Ceci n'est pas une signature
    2. Re:and eventually by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Russia is halfway there. Well, the women are stunning, but they're only about 5'9 + on average.

    3. Re:and eventually by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And what's the average height for women in the US?

      Canada apparantly it's 1.65m (1.75m for guys).

    4. Re:and eventually by Zirnike · · Score: 1
      "thirteen feet tall"

      Well, I'm about 6ft 5, so that's just about the right height for a woman.

      --
      I'm not shy, I'm stalking my prey
  59. Marketing by yintercept · · Score: 1

    This seems to be especially true in marketing. So far, in the companies I've worked with, the marketers lined themselves up by height with the tallest being the most powerful.

    Of course, this is different from electoral politics where elections are often decided alphabetically.

    1. Re:Marketing by Eric+Ass+Raymond · · Score: 1
      Don't forget the hair.

      The hair is everything.

    2. Re:Marketing by stanmann · · Score: 1

      Can you come up with an example from electoral politics??

      --
      Food not Bombs is a nice platitude but it breaks down when you notice that the Bombees are usually well fed
    3. Re:Marketing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Bush, Clinton, Dole... Who was elected?

    4. Re:Marketing by Lakers · · Score: 1

      Well, two B's and a C were elected recently(to the presidency). But C beat a B, then beat a D. Then a B beat a G. Not Quite alphabetic. But maybe your theory stands for California's politics.

      A D got recalled for an S, hrmm... Oh Yeah! We all know him as A!

    5. Re:Marketing by stanmann · · Score: 1

      Al, George, Bob, Who was elected??

      --
      Food not Bombs is a nice platitude but it breaks down when you notice that the Bombees are usually well fed
    6. Re:Marketing by TCaptain · · Score: 1

      Yes, you must have "executive style" hair.

      --
      "I'm not a procrastinator, I'm temporally challenged"
    7. Re:Marketing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It was the only way they could remember the chain of command. Marketing ain't too bright.

    8. Re:Marketing by pebs · · Score: 1

      Ralph Nadar didn't have a chance.

      --
      #!/
    9. Re:Marketing by schtum · · Score: 1

      Here and here

      The taller candidate usually wins. Not that I've gone and checked the numbers myself, but it's an interesting theory that gains a lot of credence in light of this artice.

    10. Re:Marketing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      (going back up the thread, R and N are both letters that are far down the alphebet, hence not having a chance)

  60. Size matters. by Jettamann · · Score: 1

    Especially if the study included Pr0n industry employees

    --
    - No Sig for you!
  61. Birthweight... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Higher birthweight tends to correlate to growing taller.
    Higher birthweight tends to correlate to a higher IQ.
    Being taller correlates to making more money.

    All we need to show is having a higher IQ correlates to making more money, and we've got something.

    1. Re:Birthweight... by hesiod · · Score: 1

      > All we need to show is having a higher IQ correlates to making more money, and we've got something.

      Unfortunately, a quick survey of management will prove otherwise. Furtunately, I'm lucky enough that where I work, the management-types are smart, really nice, and actually think about my suggestions instead of nodding & just tossing them out.

  62. Public office too by TamMan2000 · · Score: 1

    here is an article on the effects of height in presidential elections.

    A couple of the choice tidbits...

    from 1904-1984 80% of the winning canidates were the taller.

    And only 2 POTUS have been short compaired to average heights of the times...

    Makes me glad to be 6'1"...

    --
    "I'll have a Guinness, no wait, make that a Coors Light" -Grad student I work with, who shall remain anonymous...
    1. Re:Public office too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Pffft. Statistics can be used to prove anything. 14% of people know that.

  63. Bill Gates by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    From the pics I've seen of Bill Gates he looks at least 6'2". I myself am 6'2". Your thoughts?

    1. Re:Bill Gates by green+pizza · · Score: 1

      From the pics I've seen of Bill Gates he looks at least 6'2". I myself am 6'2". Your thoughts?

      I think Bill Gates is 6'4".

      As for you, figure out how you're going to spend your soon-to-arrive fortune!... or not.

    2. Re:Bill Gates by EricWright · · Score: 1

      WHAT??? I'm no taller than that geeky little putz? I always have these nice dreams of towering over him, shoving stuffed penguins down his puny little throat, then squishing him... just like grape. Now you've gone and ruined it!

      Dammit...

    3. Re:Bill Gates by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Really? I've always thought he was a rather short man (about 5'8" or so)? I guess I really have no frame of reference..

    4. Re:Bill Gates by eatdave13 · · Score: 1

      Meh... I'm 5' 7", and I'll bet I could kick his ass. Tall people are slow, and lose leverage when you get in close.

      --
      "Verbing weirds language." -- Calvin
    5. Re:Bill Gates by brakk · · Score: 1

      Your brothers?

    6. Re:Bill Gates by MKalus · · Score: 1

      Tall people are slow, and lose leverage when you get in close.

      What makes you think that?

      --
      If you want to e-mail me, use my PGP Key.
    7. Re:Bill Gates by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Tall people are slow, and lose leverage when you get in close.

      Yes, and they also have the necessary long limbs to make sure that you won't get close in a fight. Generally, tall people have an advantage in fights. You can compensate for that advantage with better skills or better shape, but that's all. That's also why many fighting sports are fought in different classes (by weight, but for in-shape people that correlates closely with height).

  64. One thing that they forgot to mention by jpm242 · · Score: 1

    That study was conducted examining professional basketball players.

    --
    --- Worst tagline ever.
  65. You fail it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    YOU FAIL IT! You fail it good, lah!
    8================D

    -- The WIPO Avenger

  66. Statically, tall people are smarter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Statically, tall people are smarter. That most likely the real reason they make more.

    .

  67. why don't tehy unskew this by the_2nd_coming · · Score: 1

    by removing NBA Players from the mix.

    --



    I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
  68. It's a curse by brakk · · Score: 1

    That's what I tell anyone who says they wish they were taller. "It's a curse!"

    Not that I would wish to be short, but I really, really hate hitting my head.

    1. Re:It's a curse by avandesande · · Score: 1

      I used to work in a chemical plant and was contantly banging my head on the piping. The hard hat made it even harder to see the pipes. I wouldn't want to be short though cause than I would want to be tall.

      --
      love is just extroverted narcissism
  69. Ultimate minority? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    A retarded, blind, left-handed lesbian albino midget eskimo with a club foot.

    I think that covers all the bases.

  70. There is hormone by xintegerx · · Score: 1

    The shortest 0.5 % of girls and boys in their preteens (for guys, those who are predicted to be about 4 foot tall in adulthood and their parents are short) can take a hormone pill (or was it a shot?) once or twice every week for a few years to gain about two more inches when they grow up. This is expensive and has possible side effects and only offered for the group above.

    I think you could also get 3 inches for free just by eating lots of cereal and milk every day, since milk can contain cow puss and cows get growth hormone, some of which makes it into our digestive system.

    1. Re:There is hormone by brakk · · Score: 1

      These emails I keep getting claim I can get at LEAST 3 inches!

      Boy, are you behind the times.

  71. Bill Gates by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    If this is true, I should make a killing! At 6'7" I tower over other developers.


    And conversely, Bill Gates should be 12'4"
  72. It's attitudes like this... by malverian · · Score: 0

    that caused Milton to be tragically ripped away from his merry squirrels.

    --
    You're just mad because the voices in your head talk to me.
    1. Re:It's attitudes like this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      99.9% of the population is dumb; proud to be a minority.

      Are you so dumb that you think 99.9% is a minority?

  73. Analysis by Brahmastra · · Score: 1

    In my company, the following tends to be true: most MBAs are tall and most Directors and VPs are tall
    Also, they say tall people have more inefficient brains since the distance between the brain and heart is more. That explains why most MBAs, directors and VPs are tall.

  74. They are smarter too... by 192939495969798999 · · Score: 1

    Wrap your mind around this one -- perhaps tall people earn more because they are smarter, and they are smarter because teachers called on them more -- because they are taller, and it's the tallest hand that gets called on in class! WHOA!

    --
    stuff |
  75. ARCHAEOLOGY TODAY by daeley · · Score: 1

    Interviewer ...Sir Robert Eversley, who's just returned from the excavations in El Ara, and you must be well over six foot. Isn't that right, Sir Robert?

    Sir Robert (puzzled) Yes.

    Interviewer In fact, I think you're six foot five aren't you?

    Sir Robert Yes.

    Applause from off. Sir Robert looks up in amazement.

    Interviewer Oh, that's marvelous. I mean you're a totally different kind of specimen to Professor Kastner. Straight in your seat, erect, firm.

    Sir Robert Yes. I thought we were here to discuss archaeology....

    (full skit here)

    --
    I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser gate.
  76. Got milk? by neilb78 · · Score: 0

    I'm 6'3", but apparently that's not tall enough, so I'm going to start drinking more milk. I wonder what the ratio of milk-to-salary is?

    --
    © 2004 The SCO Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
  77. confidence by sugrshack · · Score: 1
    It might be reasonable to assume (assuming you accept this study) that taller people may have more personal social confidence than shorter people, and that may have a positive effect in job interviews, etc.

    has anyone done a study of "management-hair?"

    --
    I can't believe it's not lard!
  78. Sigh by Gogl · · Score: 1

    Correlation and causation anyone? Maybe tall people tend to be more self-confident and that causes them to generally earn more, but a short person who has the same self-confidence as a tall person will earn the same amount?

  79. Nothing New by Jack+Comics · · Score: 0

    Nothing new. Personally, I'm male, and 4'10". Just like everything else, there are disadvantages and advantages in life. Sure, being short throughout growing up was a bitch, but I came to accept it. If others have a problem with it, it is their problem.

    Honestly, everyone has advantages and disadvantages. Just my disadvantage happens to be more physically apparent than most.

    I'm 26 years-old, have a bachelor's degree from college, have family and friends, and enjoy my work. I honestly couldn't ask for anything more.

    --
    "We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars." - Oscar Wilde
  80. ob Sienfeld reference by rvaniwaa · · Score: 1

    Now people will be accused of heightening to get a job/raise

    --
    main(i){(10-putchar(((25208>>3*(i+=3))&7)+(i ?i-4?100:65:10)))?main(i-4):i;}
    1. Re:ob Sienfeld reference by Black+Perl · · Score: 1

      This is already happening in China. They overtly practice height-discrimination, and women are getting surgical "height enhancements" in order to get a job.

      --
      bp
  81. Out of Context Remarks. by BuckaBooBob · · Score: 1

    It sounds like this was a mere obersvation in relation to another study. They make no mention of the Actual context of the study this was observed in.

    We have no clue if the context of the study this observation was made was something like "a Study of Alien Abducties".. In which case Aliens could be making genetic manipulations to Tall people in order to pave the way for Alien Colonization :)

    --
    Who needs WiFi when we can have Packet Over Sheep! http://datacomm.org/PoS-InternetDraft.txt
  82. I bow to you! MY TALLEST! by koa · · Score: 1

    Aha!

    Maybe now we can get on with "Operation Impending DOOM 3!"

    hahahahahahhahahahaha!

    We can now select EARTH's tallest to least us to victory!

    --
    ....move along....nothing to see here....
  83. ... And good-looking people make more too by i)ave · · Score: 1

    We could probably make a list: Intelligent people make more Good-looking " " Tall " " Those with good breath " " Early Risers " " ... one could file this article under OBVIOUS

    --
    -- I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous
  84. it's obviously a medical condition by Savatte · · Score: 1

    geeks spend all their time in front of the computer. Hunching over a keyboard stretches out the spine, thus making them taller than thier marketing-based couterparts, who spend all their time standing up, and thus feel more of the effects of gravity in the long run.

  85. Actually... by Short+Circuit · · Score: 1

    They don't care if you bathe or shave, so long as you telecommute.

    Thank god for ssh. :)

  86. trivialities?! by thegnu · · Score: 1

    movie seats piss me off. and large people's bodies tend to wear quicker because of the extra weight, and because they can't sit comfortably in flights, etc. i find it bizarre that back/knee pain is a triviality to you. but maybe that's because you're a midget. :)

    --
    Please stop stalking me, bro.
  87. Bush, Clinton. Dole? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Do you realie, that if this is modern/recent politics, that you are talking about 6 people when you say Bush, Clinton, Dole (3 presidents, 3 Senators) when you say that. All of them were elected to major office at least once (the most anti-GWB among you can count only his 2 governor wins if you want).

  88. hmmm by pizza_milkshake · · Score: 1
    i'm 6'5" and i'm poor; makes me wonder what i'm doing wrong :P

    1. Re:hmmm by megan_of_wutai · · Score: 1

      I dunno, but feel free to tell me if you find out, I seem to be suffering the very same affliction... I suspect it may have something to do with being a student but I can't be certain.

  89. Speaking of that by xintegerx · · Score: 1

    I read that when a study was done of military officers, those in higher promotions had that sharp jaw, military look. It seems people with rounded faces have a much harder place in becoming leaders, and I think face shape is as influencial as height. Supposedly, your face shape could predict where you end up in rank.

    1. Re:Speaking of that by borgboy · · Score: 1
      --
      meh.
    2. Re:Speaking of that by xintegerx · · Score: 1

      Of course, these same officers can gain weight and have a round face as they get older...

  90. In other news... by Sean+Starkey · · Score: 1

    Smarter people earn more.

  91. Nothing new here by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Gee, studies showed this 20 years ago. You also tend to get paid less if you're fat, dress poorly, or are simply unattractive.

  92. NBA players skew results by SassyDave · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I want to see the median pay increase, not the average. I bet NBA players account for 99% of the pay difference.

    1. Re:NBA players skew results by bedessen · · Score: 1

      You would not have that concern if you understood statistical sampling.

      There are probably, what, a few hundred NBA players in the population. They represent an exceedingly small percentage, since the vast majority (hundreds of millions) of the working population is NOT an NBA player.

      When you take a sample-set, it must be representative of the whole. Therefore, if you had e.g. 500 people in your study and even one of them were an NBA player, then you no longer have a representative sample. 1 in 500 is much greater than several hundred in hundreds of millions.

      In other words, if the sample set was chosen properly, it would not contain any NBA players -- unless the set contained many thousands of people. And if that were the case then the extremely high NBA salary would not have much of an effect on the average, given that it's an average of many thousands.

      Your accusation that "NBA players throw everything off" is much like saying the following: The census has determined that the average household income in America is $50,000 per year. Since a few people in this country make an obscene amount of money per year, they obviously must be skewing that average up. No, it does not, because the census is very careful to select a representative sample of the whole.

  93. advantages of being short by frankgod · · Score: 1

    You know, us short people live longer, healthier lives. How many tall people do you see in retirement homes? Also, short men are better at many things. Just ask your mom, your sister or any woman I've ever dated. Once they go short, they don't go back.

  94. Taller Opens more Doors also by A_Random_Factor · · Score: 1

    I am 6' 4" and I have been in the computer (geek portion) business for over 20 years. I have found that when I get hired with a new company, the boss / co-workers (all shorter) have always had to get raises to stay with or above my salary level. (This has happended the last 2 companies I have worked for). This may be attributed to my experience level but my bosses / co-workers are not complaining about the additional money.

    I have also found that people generally give more commanding respect to tall people verses shorter people. I have had sales people (and others) come into a room and start addressing me as the leader instead of my boss. This can be a real problem when my boss and his boss are both real short.

    Tall people will also generally have more breaks in life than short people. This is not to say short people do not get ahead but that taller people generally have it easier when it comes to advancement within a company (all other things being equal). A side to this is that short people who have to fight for their opportunities tend to be hungrier (figuratively) and tend to see an opportunity and jump for it quicker than taller people who have had an easier time.

    You will never catch me complaining about being tall ;-)

  95. Problems with drawing conclusions from this by NerdOfSteel · · Score: 1

    The problem with this study and those similar ones that make claims about the relation between higher pay and beauty, for instance, is that it becomes tempting to say, "Hey, if I'm tall (or beautiful), I'll get paid more." Or, "It's unfair that I'm short (or ugly) and will therefor be paid less."

    A better way to think of it is that, in our society, being tall is considered a desirable characteristic. People with desirable characteristics tend to have better self images. People with better self images are more confident. And confidence (usually) leads to higher pay. Why? Because higher paying jobs tend to be more competitive. Confidence is extremely important to succeeding in a competetive environment.

    The end result is not that employers give people an extra grand a year because they're six inches taller than everyone else. It's just that tall people (on average) are more confident about themselves (more outgoing so to speak) than short people because they are in possetion of that additional desirable characteristic.

    Bottom line: if you feel good about yourself, you'll have a greater chance at success than someone who doesn't.

  96. I don't need heels ;) by denjin · · Score: 1

    I'm 5'10, I'm apparently 1" taller than the avarage guy and 6" taller than the average woman. lol.

    Now, I do have to admit, wearing heels to work really is sort of fun though. :D

    1. Re:I don't need heels ;) by The_K4 · · Score: 1

      If your not a woman, then I feel a rendition of the Lumber Jack song coming on.....:)

  97. The answer by phorm · · Score: 1

    As applied to IT:

    a) The tall people are the ones that can quickly reach the RESET but on the NT Server (at the top of the rack) when it crashes

    b) The tall guy's head is visible over the cubicle wall when he's at the desk working late

    c) You can see the short guy's monitor over his head, and tell when he's playing nethack. No so with the tall one.

  98. balances out by jvarsoke · · Score: 1

    Well, how else are the tall people going to pay for the more food they need to keep a larger body going, the higher cost of getting tailored suits where the sleaves don't inch up to your elbows and the pants don't make you look like you're expecting a flood, and the SUV (or Honda Element, Saab) they need so they don't keep ramming their head into the ceiling of a sub-compact, or the custom made sneakers so they can fit their size 16 feet, or extra long matress so they their feet don't hang over the edge of the bed etc etc etc.

    There are a lot of hidden cost this money is going for. Not sure it all strictly balances out, but that's not 700$ net we're talking about.

  99. Next week - Tall, beautiful people make shitload! by nxs212 · · Score: 1

    Wow, great news! ...for a change. (I am 6'5") 10 years ago they published a study that mentioned something about tall people (over 6 feet) not living as long as shorter people. (more blood to pump?) Personally, I think it's because we keep hitting our heads all the time. I must have hit my kitchen and living room pendants at least 20 times.
    Finally, I think shorter people are intimidated when it comes to asking the "big boss" for a raise or when negotiating their salary during hiring process. HOWEVER, eye contact, imho, is far more important than height or looks. You can be a 7ft tall 500 pound guy but if you are looking at the wall or the floor instead of the person you are talking too, you will appear to be scared, weak and less confident. OR at least not as serious or interested.
    So stand tall, look into the pointy-headed boss' eyes and demand that raise! (even though you don't deserve it)

  100. Was this study sponsored by... by BigGerman · · Score: 1

    Growth Hormone Conglomerate of America?

  101. How about my 6'11" ex roommate who is.... by wwwssabbsdotcom · · Score: 1

    ...probably not making more than $40K/yr now out West being a store manager. Probably because he's a big guy and not a basketball player (370lbs). I called him 6'10" once and he threatened to kill me for cheating him out of an inch. j/k lol

    --
    Relive the BBS Past - One Byte at a Time! www.ssabbs.com
  102. I for one... by CrackedButter · · Score: 1

    ... welcome our new overgrown high earning overlords!

  103. repeat of observation in the 70's by cdn-programmer · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This observation is as true today as it was in the 70's. I guess that dates me.

    Now... the flip side of this is that many short intelligent men chose not to put up with this sort of bullshit. This provides an incentive for them to get out on their own and set up their own firms.

    I know of at least 5 major companies in this city who are headed by short men who were driven out of the company they used to work for. In one case the president-owner of the newly formed company declared that he was going to put his former employer out of business and hire every one of their employees.

    Well, this has not materialized. Nevertheless his former employer is no longer #1 in the industry and the new company is rapidly moving into that slot so perhaps it just hasn't happened yet.

    Tall people can be both smug and complacent at times but the little guys can sometimes really kick ass too!

    1. Re:repeat of observation in the 70's by blancolioni · · Score: 1

      the little guys can sometimes really kick ass too!

      Or at least ankles.

  104. This result is well known by tmark · · Score: 1

    I believe these results have been known for a long time. It is also well known that attractive people make more money. Is anyone really surprised by any of this ??

  105. next question: hair by gonar · · Score: 1

    tall people suck. but besides that, let's get to the really important question:

    "management hair" vs. bald?

    ponytails vs. crewcuts?

    comb-over bald vs. accept-it-and-move-on bald?

    hairclub for men vs. hair-plugs?

    luxurious flowing locks vs. brillo-pad-perm?

    gerry(sp?) curl vs. 'fro?

    blond vs. brunette vs. firebush (oops I mean redhead...)

    farrah vs. Jacklyn?

    --
    The difference between Theory and Practice is greater in Practice than in Theory.
  106. Helps becoming president too by heli0 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The median height for American white males is 69"(5'9") while 72"(6'0") is the 75th percentile. (NHANES III 1988-94)

    Recent Presidents' heights:

    G.W.Bush: 6' 0"
    Clinton: 6' 2-1/2"
    G.H.Bush: 6' 2"
    Reagan : 6' 1"
    Carter: 5' 9-1/2"
    Ford: 6' 0"
    Nixon: 6' 0"
    Johnson: 6' 3"
    Kennedy: 6' 0"

    8 of the last 9 above the 75th percentile not even accounting for lower heights in the past.

    --
    Whenever the offence inspires less horror than the punishment, the rigour of penal law is obliged to give way...
    1. Re:Helps becoming president too by DrWhizBang · · Score: 1

      Looks like Carter is the only anomoly in president: height table. If we made a similar table with IQ, who do you think would be the anomoly? (Here's a hint - the variance is in the same relative direction as Carter's height, and he's still president...)

      --
      Schrodinger's cat is either dead or really pissed off...
    2. Re:Helps becoming president too by rbolkey · · Score: 1

      And the candidates know this. During the last Presidential debates, Gore was trying to stand near Bush in order to show how much taller than Bush he is.

    3. Re:Helps becoming president too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The tallest candidate always wins (if they actually count the votes).

    4. Re:Helps becoming president too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Carter and Hoover were both very intelligent engineers, however they were lousy Presidents.

    5. Re:Helps becoming president too by megan_of_wutai · · Score: 1

      Shrub is 6'0"!?!?!

      I find that deeply unlikely, or else he has very bad posture and hangs around with very tall people

    6. Re:Helps becoming president too by ucblockhead · · Score: 1

      No wonder Carter was such a crappy president.

      --
      The cake is a pie
    7. Re:Helps becoming president too by Unregistered · · Score: 1

      so that's why carter was ineffective.

    8. Re:Helps becoming president too by belloc · · Score: 1
      Helps becoming president too: 8 of the last 9 above the 75th percentile...

      Right, because we all know that 9 data points is statistically significant.

      --
      I got more rhymes than Jamaica got Mangoes.
    9. Re:Helps becoming president too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      repeat after me: anomaly.

    10. Re:Helps becoming president too by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, mate, try explain this one. In our country (Australia if the "mate" didn't give it away) that prides itself on athletic ability, our prime-minister is a 5'0" muppet with more than a passing resemblance to cookie monster. Hey, wait a minute ...

      Bruce Bruce

    11. Re:Helps becoming president too by astrosmurf · · Score: 1
      Right, because we all know that 9 data points is statistically significant.
      9 datapoints IS statistically significant in this case. If we assume that height does not affect a persons ability to become president, the probability of getting 8 or 9 persons in the 75 percentile is 0.25**9 + 0.25**8*0.75*9, or approximately 0.000107.
  107. And.. by hackstraw · · Score: 1

    Fat people make less than thin. Better looking people make more money than uglier ones. More educated/bright people make more money, etc, etc.

    This groundbreaking study on height being correlated with salary does not suprise me. For men it is seen that height is "more attractive" (see above). Interesting thing is that more attractive people are seen as brighter and more "one of us", even if the sexes are the same. No, men don't typically say "My thats a good looking guy!", but they do behave more positively towards better looking men.

    1. Re:And.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      not really.. i don't behave all that positively to my good looking friend who steals all my girls. yet, i'm completely down with the fat dudes (who have no chance of stealing my ladies).

  108. Re:I think you left out the most important conclus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Or green, in your case.

  109. corepirate nazi stock markup felons "earn" more by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    whilst trying to impress US (buy use of phonIE ?pr? ?firm? hypenosys) that you are too, regardless of your height/weight/station.

    just another statistic supplied by the pateNTdead eyecon0meter.

    of course, you wouldn't need the eyecon0meter to realize that if you are only profiting from folks MiSplaced trust, you are actually a BIG part of the problems that WILL be solved by the creator's newclear power plan, which is the driving force behind the planet/population rescue initiative.

    so, if you are won of the felonious wons (we know who you are) whois stealing J.'s hardearned, whilst presenting to be some kind of "banker", lookout bullow.

  110. Biological dominance by jafac · · Score: 2, Interesting

    This has everything to do with how the human animal is hardwired for dominance/submission. Very similar to many animals. More dominant males tend to succeed better. Being taller is a dominance trait. It's not rocket science. It's biology. It drives a lot more human behavior than most people are aware of, or would be comfortable admitting.

    --

    These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
    1. Re:Biological dominance by alienw · · Score: 1

      Being taller is a dominance trait. It's not rocket science. It's biology.

      You're spewing unsubstantiated bullshit. Please don't call it biology. The notion that people are genetically or otherwise hardwired for dominance or submission can be clearly demonstrated to be wrong. It may be believable in animals that rely solely on instincts, but extending it to intelligent species, such as humans, is clearly incorrect. You are ignoring too many variables. As for height being genetically correlated with leadership: that's just plain wrong.

    2. Re:Biological dominance by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I do believe he said dominance, not leadership. It doesn't take leadership to bully someone smaller than you. It only takes the willingness of that person to submit. How far do you think we have come in 100,000 years? We certainly are not FREE of these traits.

    3. Re:Biological dominance by gribbly · · Score: 1

      As for height being genetically correlated with leadership: that's just plain wrong.

      On the short side, are we?

      Relax, I'm just kidding...

      But seriously, roasting someone for "spewing unsubstantiated bullshit", then making three separate unsubstantiated claims yourself in your next three sentences is pretty rich.

      grib.

      --
      maybe
    4. Re:Biological dominance by jafac · · Score: 1

      " It may be believable in animals that rely solely on instincts, but extending it to intelligent species,. . . "

      define "intelligent"

      "As for height being genetically correlated with leadership: that's just plain wrong."

      I didn't say leadership. I said dominance. A person does not need to be dominant to be a good leader - but it helps. (because people will tend not to follow a submissive leader). Nor does dominant traits or behavior lead to good leadership skills. In fact, some of the WORST leaders are people who get off on their own dominance.

      And, I'm not trying to correllate height with dominance. I'm corellating submissiveness with shortness. A good example is in more primative cultures, royalty always sits on a chair that is elevated physically compared to others, and often, it's a requirement that the non royalty never sit higher than the royalty. That's to take advantage of the fact that, a higher physical position, encourages submissive behavior in others. When you're looking UP at someone, there's a natural tendency to submit to them. "Intelligent" humans can, of course, easily coutner this urge, IF they're aware of it, and IF they put their mind to it. Most people blunder through life - trying to deny these traits, and so nature has it's way with them.

      --

      These are my friends, See how they glisten. See this one shine, how he smiles in the light.
    5. Re:Biological dominance by Pinball+Wizard · · Score: 1

      That explains it perfectly. Now I finally understand why tall, muscular people of African descent are so much richer and more successful, than say, their shorter Asian counterparts.

      --

      No, Thursday's out. How about never - is never good for you?

    6. Re:Biological dominance by glwtta · · Score: 1

      Um, thanks for stating the obvious.

      --
      sic transit gloria mundi
    7. Re:Biological dominance by alienw · · Score: 1

      But seriously, roasting someone for "spewing unsubstantiated bullshit", then making three separate unsubstantiated claims yourself in your next three sentences is pretty rich.

      Excuse me, but my pointing out the patently ridiculous claims in that post does not necessitate _proving_ them wrong. And I did provide a counterexample or two.

    8. Re:Biological dominance by alienw · · Score: 1

      define "intelligent"

      Capable of rational thought or reasoning.

      I'm corellating submissiveness with shortness

      You actually changed your tune this time. In the original post, you said that being short caused submissiveness in an individual due to some genetic phenomenon (the "hardwired" part). Now you're saying that submissiveness is due to the perceptions of others. Which one is it?

  111. Well understood by nsample · · Score: 1
    This has been known for decades; why does another study repeateing it warrant attention? It's also accepted that attractive people make more money.
    Additionally, as compared to their less attractive counterparts, attractive people tend to have more distinguished positions, earn more money, and characterize themselves as happier (Umberson & Hughes, 1987; Diener, Wolsic, & Fujita, 1995)
    Quoted from here
  112. Well, do something about it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Work on your booty - it worked for Kylie.

  113. Do fat or bald people earn less? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There are clearly many forms of discrimination in the workplace. Many are unprotected thanks to "at will".

    Long hair, beards, short hair, no hair, choice of clothes, funny voice, bad teeth, etc..

    It is nice to see research on this. But once we identify it, how do we solve it?

    Affirmitive action for short/fat/bald/etc people?

  114. explains outsourcing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    indians and chinese work for less because they are shorter..

    1. Re:explains outsourcing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      indians and chinese work for less because they are shorter..

      what makes you think Indians are shorter?

      there's plenty of tall Indians who will kick your monkey ass. In fact, most of the men (and some women) in my family are tall, and most of us can code better than your sorry ass.

      some of us live in the U.S., though.. so outsourcing is not the issue.

  115. Math Question by tomzyk · · Score: 1
    Anyone else get confused over the math results in the article?
    ...The study, released Thursday, was controlled for gender, weight and age, and found that each inch in height added about $789 a year in pay.

    "If you take this over the course of a 30-year career and compound it, we're talking about literally hundreds of thousands of dollars of earnings advantage that a tall person enjoys"...
    $789 * 30 = $23,670
    How is that "literally hundreds of thousands of dollars"? Unless they're talking about people that are 6 to 10 inches taller than normal....

    Then again, maybe they're saying if they invest that money and let it build off of interest, it could be hundreds of thousands by retirement....
    --
    Karma: NaN
    1. Re:Math Question by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think you missed the words "and compound it"

    2. Re:Math Question by bedessen · · Score: 1

      Yes, the key word is "compound it" which means that you account for inflation. Also, the quote specifically said "...that a tall person enjoys" which implies it's referring to more than a couple inches of difference.

      As an example, consider someone that is 3" taller than average (which is 5'9" for males) and assume a 6% rate of inflation. After 30 years this amounts to $199,009.

      If you assume 4" and 8%, the 30 year result is $395,095.

  116. Unfortunately by dpaton.net · · Score: 1

    Like most research, it's only true under specific circumstances. I'm 6'4" and unemployed.

    *sigh*

    --
    This is not a sig. this is a duck. quack.
  117. Tall girls given hormones to stunt their growth by alanw · · Score: 1

    New Scientist reports that "Between the 1950s and 1990s, thousands of girls worldwide who were predicted to grow to more than 177 centimetres (5 foot 10 inches) were given synthetic oestrogen - over four times the dose in the modern pill - for an average of two years" to stop them growing too tall.

    Now they are having trouble conceiving children of their own.

  118. They get elected more, too by ianscot · · Score: 1
    In presidential elections, at least, the taller candidate wins pretty consistently. Mike Dukakis really should've cemented that rule.

    Two exceptions -- George W. is 5'11" and Gore was 6'1" -- but then W. only got the electoral college and the supreme court. Also Jimmy Carter is only 5'9", and Ford was six two. But those are the only times it's gone the other way.

    The Daily Standard has a throwaway article on the subject. Very informative about the height of Kerry's hair, if you ask me.

    --
    "Fundamentalism" isn't about divine morality. It's about human authority.
  119. Geez by milesbparty · · Score: 1

    This has got to be one of the stupidest studies ever!

    --
    eMelody Web Directory add your site today!
  120. fat people by AssFace · · Score: 1

    from what I have seen, fat people become heads of companies.

    --

    There are some odd things afoot now, in the Villa Straylight.
    1. Re:fat people by Little+Brother · · Score: 1

      No, heads of companies become fat.

      --

      Little Brother, watching the watchers

    2. Re:fat people by AssFace · · Score: 1

      No YOU do!

      --

      There are some odd things afoot now, in the Villa Straylight.
  121. Fuck BayStar Capital by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fuck BayStar Capital

  122. All tall people have been short by TamMan2000 · · Score: 1

    I am not huge at 6'1", but I am tall enough to cause problems, nobody (well very few...) who is 5'5" has ever experienced being over 6', but...

    I was 5'6" for a couple years (pause before growth spurt, late growth spurt too...). I remember being 5'6", it wasn't that bad.

    I think ideal is 5'10"-5'11" you are just over average and therefore have little difficulty in reaching the top shelf, etc... but you also don't lack head room in most cars and other pain in the ass stuff...

    --
    "I'll have a Guinness, no wait, make that a Coors Light" -Grad student I work with, who shall remain anonymous...
    1. Re:All tall people have been short by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm 5'11, and I would agree with this. Height isn't something I really think about. Cars are big enough AND shelves are within reach.

      Also I weigh 140lbs, which is convenient on airplanes.

    2. Re:All tall people have been short by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      One of my friends who is both big and tall, rode in a Honda Civic the other night, and had to have the sunroof open to have enough room for his head. He couldn't recline, because there were people stuffed in the back seat.

    3. Re:All tall people have been short by MKalus · · Score: 1

      I am 6'2" and I loath the christmas season, I am almost certain to hit my head on one of those signs. It seems as soon as you get over 6' you on your own, nobody seems to think that maybe just maybe it would be wiser to hang the freaking signs higher, but then of course all the short people won't see them I guess.

      --
      If you want to e-mail me, use my PGP Key.
  123. An old way of viewing another Human Being by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think this is a rehash of Ubermench vs. Untermench philosophy.

  124. Chinese astronauts vs. NBA players by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    who earns more ?

  125. Not True by ratfynk · · Score: 1

    Unless Bill Gates is wearing lifts.

    --
    OH THE SHAME I fell off the wagon and use sigs again!
  126. For us metric weenies by wfberg · · Score: 1

    (6 foot) plus (7 inches) = 2.0066 meters

    --
    SCO employee? Check out the bounty
  127. Correlation does not imply cause and effect by kakos · · Score: 1

    I have to question this study. Mr. Judge either forgot or never took an Intro to Psychology class. He certainly can't tell the difference between a correlation and a cause/effect relationship.

    This study is a correlation. Perhaps there is a high correlation between height and pay. However, this does NOT mean that height causes higher pay. It could, theoretically, just as easily mean that higher pay causes more height. Or it could just as easily mean that there are other factors that affect both height and pay.

  128. Similiar Study by CFTM · · Score: 1

    I read a similar study on this topic awhile back and this study did not include an important finding that the other one did. Short people who were tall at a young age have the same advantages, or at least similar. It leads one to believe that the issue is as much about confidence as it is about height.

  129. Re:Hi by jonfelder · · Score: 1

    While eating poo has not yet been linked to higher salaries, kissing butt has...so perhaps you have plausable theory there.

  130. Not is you Baptist by bobKali · · Score: 1

    'Cuz that might lead to dancing...

  131. Two words: star trek by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "But I'm a 25 year old virgin for crying out loud. I can't get a girl, I think that's reasonable enough to be able to bitch about, no? "

    Two words: star trek. That stupid black Neelix t-shirt you have been wearing is babe repellent. Ditch it. Now.

    1. Re:Two words: star trek by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm not that much of a nerd either. Not into Star Trek. I am a pretty hardcore computer geek, maybe that's it, but I don't show it most of the time.. I'm in a rock band, and part of the music scene, but that doesn't get me any girls. I have female friends who love me, but don't want to be more than friends, despite coming very close to hooking up with me. I occasionally have slutty girls (usually alcholics) chase after me, but these girls are so much trouble that I would never put my penis inside of them.

      I've dry-humped with some really hot girls, but that ain't much. Even if I wasn't a virgin, it would still suck that I haven't had a girlfriend.

      It's just hard to find good girls, and I live in a big enough city. Fuck, I have no excuses here. What gives?

    2. Re:Two words: star trek by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I found that usually when men have a lot of girl "friends" it's because they are too nice. There is an old saying that nice guys finish last. Women like men that are bastards. You don't need to beat them or anything, just change your attitude a bit. Don't always return their calls. Don't listen to their problems and NEVER NEVER let them tell you about any guys that they are currently fucking. Once they start doing that you are stuck in friendsville forever.

  132. Indirect effect by El · · Score: 1

    Maybe this is because shorter men are more likely to suffer from a Napoleon Complex; i.e. more likely to be assholes? In most fields, being a jerk should limit your earnings...

    --

    "Freedom means freedom for everybody" -- Dick Cheney

    1. Re:Indirect effect by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Amen. Thank you. Someone had to say it.

  133. The confidence correlation. by asdfasdfasdfasdf · · Score: 1

    I've had quite a few short managers over the years. In fact, for both of my previous employers, the owner would be considered 'short.'

    The 'napoleon complex' is reasonably well documented, and height can obviously be a motivating factor. (in these cases, perhaps to overcompensate or overachieve). If extreme deficiency in height can be a motivating factor, it seems logical that height (esp. above-average height) should be as well.

    I'm successful. Especially when you consider my demographic. I owe a lot of it to competence, sure, but the level I have reached is due solely to confidence. While I'm only slightly above average height, I'm extremely confident, especially about things at which I excel. In order to be making the salary I am, I had to get on a track that would put me here, and that has required my holding fast to the salary requests I've made.

    When I change employers I set a high, but realistic target salary, and I know I'm worth it. It's only the confidence in myself and my abilities which has allowed me to do this.

  134. I have to agree... by itallushrt · · Score: 1

    Standing in at 6'7" myself I'd say that your almost completely on target here. While I don't know what others around me make I do feel that I recieve more responsibilities, and more notoriority around the office.

    Not to mention the fact that I get laid more than any of those midget dorks that I work with. Chicks really dig us tall guys.

  135. It's True! by DunbarTheInept · · Score: 1

    It's True!
    When I was just a foot and a half tall, I didn't get a dime. I just sat around crying and being cared for by mom. Now I'm a lot taller, and Hey! I earn more too!

    --

    Don't label something "offtopic" unless you know the topic well enough to tell what's on topic.

  136. Let's eliminate exceptions... by jlockard · · Score: 1

    How about we eliminate professional basketball salaries and then run that study again.

    --
    --JLockard - "Some mornings, it's just not worth chewing through the leather straps." - Emo Phillips
  137. Interesting by ciphertext · · Score: 1

    I think there are a lot of correlations between height and perceived success. However, when running for President isn't the electoral college really the only votes that matter? At least, constitutionally speaking.

    --
    To know is to have knowledge....to understand is to be enlightened.
  138. NBA players skewing the stats by TJBrass · · Score: 1

    What if they eliminate Pro athletes from the sample pool?

    1. Re:NBA players skewing the stats by raju1kabir · · Score: 1
      What if they eliminate Pro athletes from the sample pool?

      Then it would be skewed by the equal-and-opposite force of male Hollywood stars, most of whom are about 5' tall.

      --
      "Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all other countries because you were born in it." -- GBS
  139. Re:Dubious Study, not really... by dameron · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I saw a documentary once where women rated the "date-ability" of men they observed through a one way mirror. All the men were judged to be above average in appearance based on headshots alone.

    When viewed in context a taller than average men outranked the smaller men with remarkable consistency. One, identified as having an extensive criminal record, always outscored shorter men. To get the women to accept the shortest (around 5'3") bachelor as "date-able" the researchers had to say he was a doctor who loved to travel on his private jet all over the world and was independently wealthy.

    The question isn't whether or taller people are better workers who earn more money through merit, rather it's whether we're still tied to longstanding biological instinct when evaluating people, even in an business context.

    -dameron

  140. The printer... by glenebob · · Score: 1
    "I'm going to go ask for a raise right now, if I can figure out how to work the printer..."
    Step 1: Bend down just a bit more.
    Step 2: ???
    Step 3: Profit!!!
  141. Confidence pays. by gt623 · · Score: 1

    In this article the author states basically the same thing as above, but for a different reason. Apparently, it has been known for quite some time that tall people are paid more, but this journalist opened a slightly bigger door to the reasons being. Quick summary: Tall people are more confident. Confidence pays. But that can't be the only reason can it? One can't deny there is negative media, societal pressures, and even evolution to blame here. So what can we short people do? Well this, or just live with it. Money is just money.

  142. So what you are saying is... by macshune · · Score: 1

    Short people earn less?

  143. Re:I think you left out the most important conclus by Cpt_Kirks · · Score: 1

    It is a fact that Orion Slave Girls are tall. It's a genetic thing, like their near terminal sex drives...

  144. Proof by cybermace5 · · Score: 0, Troll

    Though it doesn't seem to be working for me, at 6'3"....

    The engineering school I went to shares a town with a medium-sized state college. An interesting statistic is that except for one year, our starting salary has always been far above theirs.

    That one year was 1979, when Larry Bird (6'9") from ISU signed a $3,250,000 contract with the Celtics.

    --
    ...
  145. DAMN STRAIGHT by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's not fair! So, who can I sue?

  146. one answer: platform shoes by the_REAL_sam · · Score: 1

    Yes, i'm here to apply for the "circus clown on 30 foot stilts job."

    --
    "Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us." -Jesus Christ The Lord's Prayer
  147. Tall at AIG by lonb · · Score: 0

    I worked at AIG and I had noted to my friends at the time that the height preference at the company was unbelievably obvious. I was amazed that the world's largest financial company would be structured that way, but it was. Each rank had ascendingly taller folks. While there, I attended a AIG-sponsored management program, where I was told that the company culture was a "driver society." 'Driver' referring to a personality type that indicates the person forceably gets their way, period. Therefore I guess the relationship between personality and height is there. I just found it funny that at 5'11" I was among the shorter managers. The average female exec was at least 5'10", and with heels, over 6'. I also have suggested to friends in the past that a study would probably conclude affirmatively that areas with higher incomes (or possibly just by pop. density) would likely have taller people on average. And I gave the specific example of Manhattan vs. outer boroughs.

    --
    "Ain't I a stinka..." - Bugs
  148. New SPAM opportunity -- add inches by ReelOddeeo · · Score: 4, Funny

    How would you like to be six inches taller and earn hundreds of thousands more dollars?

    You should try our new all-natural herbal enlargement pills!

    --

    Those who would give up liberty in exchange for security and DRM should switch to Microsoft Palladium!
    1. Re:New SPAM opportunity -- add inches by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How would you like to be six inches taller and earn hundreds of thousands more dollars?


      I would like to be 6 inches taller. . .when I am laying down! (I know it's lame).

      Eric

    2. Re:New SPAM opportunity -- add inches by Sri+Lumpa · · Score: 1


      No, not enlargement, I can manage enlargement without help. Entallerment is much harder though.

      --
      "The obvious mathematical breakthrough would be development of an easy way to factor large prime numbers." Bill Gates,
  149. Ah ha! by retro128 · · Score: 1

    I knew college education was a lie. Now I can use that money to invest in stilts!

    --
    -R
  150. You know what they say about tall and short ppl... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Small penises.

  151. Economics is about human behavior, not numbers by mc6809e · · Score: 1

    When you find yourself doubting this study, consider you behavior around someone that is taller than you. Do you feel a little intimidated? Does your behavior change?

    Economics isn't about little knobs on a machine that you twist and turn to see what happens. It isn't bunch of numbers you just munge together.

    Economics is about human behavior. That's why you get paid, right? Your little pieces of paper would be worthless if people didn't respond to them. But they do. And you do what you do so you can have these little pieces of paper. Your boss is using them because you respond to them.

    People of greater height have an effect on the behavior of others. Maybe they're more likely to motivate others to action. This might mean they make better managers. Maybe their own height gives them more confidence -- they are more likely to succeed because their height affects their own behavior.

    Motivation, feelings, happiness, sadness, anticipation, disapointment, etc have a real effect on the economy. You might even say that the economy is the reflection of all these things.

  152. Sheesh :P by denjin · · Score: 1

    Almost not worth a response...

    But I am willing to bet that supply and demand works out so that men earn more in that profession. ;)

    1. Re:Sheesh :P by spectral · · Score: 1

      ore ha ningen? wakarahen..

  153. whats worse... by jtilak · · Score: 1

    Men earn more than women for the same jobs. A lot more. Whether it physician or waiter or nurse, men almost always get paid more. This is a fact. You can check it out at the Bureau of Labor Statistics website. BTW, tall people earning more is OFN.

  154. I work with midgets by denjin · · Score: 1

    Ok, I'm being slightly facetious.

    But, I'm a 5'10 woman. I think of all the guys I work with, only 3 are taller than me.

    One day I'll be boss and can command my own midget army....

  155. Right on target by heironymouscoward · · Score: 1

    ...while attractice girls fling themselves at them and they command undue attention in a conference room.

    Yes, this is the sad story of my life. One of the problems is that us tallish people tend to be more modest, since we don't have to keep over compensating. So when the pretty girls launch themselves at us we often say, "hey, lady, what the heck are you doing?!" Plus, women never actually throw themselves, they tend to play themselves like smart hooks going after fish. After a while, all that confusingly attractive and yet frustratingly complex female company all blurs and frankly, a Napolean complex is not such a bad alternative.

    Except that the pay, as a tall person, is better. Gotta say that's a plus. And the conference thing. That's cool too, once you learn how to put more than one sylable together into a sentence.

    --
    Ceci n'est pas une signature
    1. Re:Right on target by ergo98 · · Score: 1

      One of the problems is that us tallish people tend to be more modest, since we don't have to keep over compensating

      This particular stereotypical, bigoted myth fascinates me: Whatever a shorter person does is over-compensating, while whatever a taller person does is just natural. If a shorter person works out and stays fit, they're overcompensating. If a taller person works out, they're staying healthy. Fascinating stuff.

      Oh, and if a female boss is demanding or in control, she's just an over-compensating bitch, right?

    2. Re:Right on target by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Oh, and if a female boss is demanding or in control, she's just an over-compensating bitch, right?

      In theory, no. In practice...?

    3. Re:Right on target by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0


      Yes, this is the sad story of my life. One of the problems is that us tallish people tend to be more modest, since we don't have to keep over compensating. So when the pretty girls launch themselves at us we often say, "hey, lady, what the heck are you doing?!"


      That is so true. I tend to think, she's really hot... I wonder why she was so nice to me? She must just be a nice person.

      And later my friends say "she was chatting you up!" And I'm like "no way...! was she?" It seems unbelievable to me.

      At least with a Napoleonic complex, it's clear that you're getting attention because of something you did... and if you fail, it's nothing to be ahamed of, since you're a short ugly bastard anyway.

      I know it sounds cruel, but I think it would make things a lot simpler and more logical.

  156. No Wonder! by Flwyd · · Score: 1

    No wonder Shaq makes more money than I do. He's taller!

    --
    Ceci n'est pas une signature.
  157. Re:I think you left out the most important conclus by ChesireKat · · Score: 1

    "its because tall people are better"

    Yeah, but short women take up less space and have bigger boobs.

    --
    ~Just keep eating, porky. Fat people are harder to kidnap.
  158. Nutrition? by LittleStone · · Score: 1

    Conjectures:
    1. Poor families kids have worse nutrition in average, limiting height development.
    Kids from poor families also receive less education.

    => tall people earn more

    2. Immigrants from Asian countries are shorter in general. Immigrants also earn less for various reasons.

    => tall people (mainly locals) earn more.

    3. Professional sports player earn a lot. They tend to be taller (How many NBA players are shorter than 6 feet?), pulling up the average for tall people.

    => tall people (mainly athelets) earn more.

    the rant can go on...

    --
    A sig is redundant.
    1. Re:Nutrition? by MKalus · · Score: 1

      Nice, but I see one problem with this logic here.

      If nutrition is really the reason for taller people, how come that the tallest people (on average) are living in the Netherlands?

      Granted, there is food in abundance, but so it is in the rest of Europe and North America, and most people in north america are less than 6 feet, no?

      M.

      --
      If you want to e-mail me, use my PGP Key.
  159. This is not unexpected by DownTheLongRoad · · Score: 1

    It's called the Halo Effect. People tend to let one characteristic define how they judge people. If you consider taller people more attractive or competent, even unconsciously, when raise time rolls around you can guess who will get better raises. Since you consider a taller person favorably, you will tend to consider everything that person does better. If someone is a very good programmer but missing a front tooth, what's going to stand out most in your mind when you think about that person?

    It has also been shown that overweight women tend to accumulate less wealth than their skinny counterparts. Again, one characteristic of a person tends to dominate.

  160. Good background by davew666 · · Score: 1

    I went to a "good" school in Englnd - Eton College. I would say the average height of people in their last year there is over 6 feet. Out of 10 of us in my house, all but two were over 6'1" by the time we left. It's pretty much the same in other schools I know of, so I am guessing that there is something related to a good (read expensive) upbringing, and your height. Maybe better and more rounded nutrition? Anyway, it would follow that people that went to these schools, and incidentally were taller, will go on to earn more than people who went to state schools, and happened to be shorter. I'm not going to go into why people from these schools earn more, but they do, and i don't think anyone will disagree with that.

  161. I pretend I'm Bob Balaban by mc6809e · · Score: 1

    Bob Balaban played a network executive on Seinfeld. I think he also played a network executive on Late Shift, the movie about Letterman and Leno.

    He's short, but intimidating.

  162. In a related study... by CyberSnyder · · Score: 1

    Men pay more attention to women with large breasts than women with small breasts.

  163. Where is Red Foreman when you need him? by denjin · · Score: 1

    After lookin at a few of these threads, I think we need Red Foreman to come in and hose a bunch of guys down.

  164. It's called proportion by not_a_george · · Score: 1

    the bigger the body, the bigger the mind, the bigger the d...
    Profits!

    --
    Linux: Helping nerds look smarter since the late 90s.
  165. Adolescent Height Matters More than Current Height by kpost · · Score: 1

    according to "The Effect of Adolescent Experience on Labor Market Outcomes: The Case of Height" (Persico/Postlewaite/Silverman) Here's an easy to read synopsis of the paper: http://slate.msn.com/id/2063439/

  166. Not that strange... by Captain+Goatse · · Score: 0

    It's not that strange that tall people in sales get paid more. A tall person will sell better because people thinks he has a big dick, which makes them jealous. They think they can buy a big dick too, but they do not know that the ePenis is all that matters.

    BTW, penile pills > all.

  167. Hope for us shorties... by Marii · · Score: 1

    I agree, tall people get a certain amount of respect just by their commanding physical presence. It's more likely they'll get noticed, and therefore listened to, and therefore have more opportunities for advancement. But, luckily for the shorts, there are a ton of other meaningless-to-ability traits that can equal things out. Being attractive, outspoken, friendly.. and especially, being *confident*. Here's to hoping I excel in some of those other areas, since my 5'0" stature isn't doing much for me. ;)

  168. I need to talk to my boss... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm 6'5", my boss just left from dropping my check off and obviously he hasn't caught wind of this news. I think it's time we had a talk.

  169. I should be rich.... by stretch0611 · · Score: 1

    I am also a devleoper raising the ceiling to 6'11". I should be rich at that height but I'm not. Instead I'm worried about much shorter people in far away lands(India, China) that are going to take my job. If I'm unemployed those short people are going to make a lot more than me.

    --
    Looking for a job?
    Want your resume written professionally?
    DON'T USE TUNAREZ!!!
  170. Statistics include US and China? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    US = Taller caucasian capitalists
    China = Short oriental communist

    1. Re:Statistics include US and China? by netglen · · Score: 1

      China = Short oriental communist

      At last! We can get Chinese take-out for the new space station.

  171. Hair, Too! by 4of12 · · Score: 1

    Remember, you can't advance up the management ladder to the uppermost rungs unless you have nice looking hair!

    Gr[ae]y is great, but bald is bad!

    On a related issue, I recall a study once that showed how elementary school teachers tended to reward "pretty" students more than "average" or "ugly" students.

    If you succeed while being ugly, bald, short, and fat, you're accomplishments are the greater for having done them uphill. Of course, my minority friends will still consider you minor league.

    --
    "Provided by the management for your protection."
  172. It's well known by roffe · · Score: 1

    just do a PsychLIT study, this has been known for ages. tall people get leadership positions more often. not necessarily a bad thing, height correlates with IQ which correlates with good leadership.

    --
    -- Rolf Lindgren, cand.psychol
    1. Re:It's well known by MKalus · · Score: 1

      height correlates with IQ

      Where does that come from????

      --
      If you want to e-mail me, use my PGP Key.
    2. Re:It's well known by roffe · · Score: 1

      that's a good question for which I have no answer right now - I'm sure I've seen it somewhere. I'm sure height correlates with leadership positions, and it's really to bad if there's no correlation between height and IQ. IQ correlates with a lot of good stuff, like GPA, mental health, social skills, socioeconomic success - and height correlates with a lot of good stuff as well. OTOH, it might just be that they don't correlate with each other. I'll lokk it up. Stay tuned.

      --
      -- Rolf Lindgren, cand.psychol
  173. tall factoid by Traa · · Score: 1

    The Dutch men are the tallest male population in the world. The average full grown male in the Netherlands is just under "6'1 (american man average at "5'9)

    not claiming this has any relevance to the incoming, just a fun little fact for your friday :-)

  174. Ah ha! by ThisIsFred · · Score: 1

    A major portion of the surveyed wouldn't be professional NBA players, would they?

    --
    Fred

    "A fool and his freedom are soon parted"
    -RMS
  175. Re:I think you left out the most important conclus by PD · · Score: 1

    Hence, the classic song:

    Jump For My Love Lyrics
    Pointer Sisters

    Your eyes tell me how you love me
    Can feel it in your heart beat
    I know you like what you see
    Hold me, I'll give that you need
    Wrap your love around me
    You're so excited, I can feel you
    Getting hotter, oh baby
    I'll take you down, I'll take you down
    Where no one's ever gone before
    And if you want more, if you want more
    More, more, more

    Jump for my love
    Jump in and feel my touch
    Jump you want to taste my kisses
    In the night then

    Jump, jump for my love
    Jump, I know my heart can make you happy
    Jump in, you know these arms
    Can feel you up
    Jump, you want to taste my kisses
    In the night then
    Jump, jump for my love

    You told me, I'm the only woman for you
    Nobody does you like I do
    Then make a move before you try and
    Go much farther, oh baby
    You're the one, you, you are the one
    And heaven waits here at my door
    And if you want more,
    If you want more, more, more then
    When you are next to me, oh I come alive

    Your love burns inside
    Feels so right
    Come to me if you want me tonight jump
    Jump if you want to taste my kisses
    In the night then
    Jump, jump, jump
    Jump, you know my heart can
    Make you happy
    Jump, you know theese arms can feel you up
    Jump in, you want to taste my kisses
    In the night then
    Jump, jump for my love

  176. Re:I think you left out the most important conclus by SquadBoy · · Score: 1

    Post a pic to prove this. :)

    --

    Cypherpunks: Civil Liberty Through Complex Mathematics. Those who live by the sword die by the arrow.
  177. Hmmm.... by foxtrot · · Score: 1

    They also say men are paid more than women for the same job, overall. And as a general rule, women are shorter than men.

    I wonder if height is part of the cause or part of the effect...

  178. THEY DO GROW BONES... check this out ! by deathcow · · Score: 2, Informative
    I attended over 25 operations where Doctors did help people grow. Their OWN bones, by over 1 inch per month. Yes, you can be one inch taller per month if you so desire.

    It's called the Ilizarov Technique. It was discovered by a Russian doctor and named for him. The basic principle is this: (1) break someones leg, (2) hold it together just like a cast does , (3) tug on it by one millimeter per day, (4) the body fills in the gap with new bone.

    Not only that, but the body grows muscle, nerves, blood vessels as required to accomodate the new limb length.

    Not only can you make limbs longer, you can twist them back to normal directions, weed out angles left by accidents, etc. I saw an Atlanta Falcons player get his leg lengthened and rotated back into normal position.

    Why take bone grafts or coral or cadaver implants ?? Have your body grow its own bone.

    Not only that !!! When you take dwarves, and you lengthen their two humorous and their two femurs, it dumps so much growth hormones into the body that the torso, face, etc. grow to more normal proportions.

    All in all an incredible technique that is underrated.

    Why do I know this? I wrote the original embedded (8051) C software in a robotic distractor which allowed doctors to control this procedure precisely. A doctor could say "I want this limb to grow 1440 times per day, by 1/1440th per millimeter."... or "I want this limb to grow 360 times per day, by 1/360th of a millimeter."

    Most fascinating.. the Russians and typical American use is to increase the length of the limb by 1/4 mm four times per day. The device we made allowed much finer control... up to 1/1440th mm 1440 times per day. X-rays showed that the finer, closer to continuous growth "tugging" produced the most normal looking nerve and blood vessels.

    I saw this one guy who blew out 8" of his tibia with a shotgun, but the muscle and nerves stayed. Instead of amputating, they brought this guys foot WAY up, so he had this huge ball of muscle on the back of a tiny stump. Then they started growing !!! 200 days later this guy had his entire leg back.

    I saw this type stuff again and again while I was helping doctors install the robotic device on patients. Doctors cut a small opening, take chisels to the patients bone, break it, put the frame on, and start the machine tugging the limb apart slowly. It is pure magic.

    Deathcow

    1. Re:THEY DO GROW BONES... check this out ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      It's called the Ilizarov Technique. It was discovered by a Russian doctor and named for him.

      In Soviet Russia, bones grow you!

    2. Re:THEY DO GROW BONES... check this out ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You forgot to mention the part where it's excruciatingly painful for months, and you are on crutches for months even after it's done. Not to mention the risk of infection with metal rods all the way to the bone. Bone infections is a BAD thing (as in, can kill you).

    3. Re:THEY DO GROW BONES... check this out ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yep crutches for 2x the bone growth period. Hey suit yourself... put some dead-man-bones in your leg and see if I give a flying fuck.

  179. Bodes no good for Howard Dean '04 by crashcane · · Score: 1

    This list suggests that Dean's campaign is going to be a train wreck. I volunteered at his rally in Wisconsin, and got within a few yards of him. I think that I, at 5'7", am taller than him.

    It's too bad, since I don't feel strongly for for any of the other Dems, except Kucinich, who is even worse off in the appearance category. I wish it weren't so, but to win a presidential election in the U.S., you have to look presidential.

  180. Good childhood nutrition - taller and healthier by DoctorHibbert · · Score: 1

    Its well known that children that have better nutrition and medical care tend to be taller on average. This has been demonstrated time and again as third world countries become more prosperous.

    Parents who are intelligent and successful are much more likely to provide good nutrition and medical care AND better education. This alone could explain the correlation. Although I think it is at least partly explainable by bias against short people.

    --
    Arbitrary sig
  181. I care! by Gorimek · · Score: 1

    As your potential (185cm/6'1") coworker I have to say that I care. I will not work with smelly, rude or otherwise obnoxious people if I can at all avoid it. Neither will most people worth hiring.

  182. Obvious by mozumder · · Score: 1

    In the way of "Good looking people earn more"

  183. MOD PARENT UP! by fmaxwell · · Score: 1

    I did a search for "nutrition" to avoid a redundant post. You missed one of the largest (no pun intended) group of short immigrants: Hispanics. Socio-economically, as a group, they are much further down the scale than Asian immigrants (I haven't seen a lot of Asian immigrants picking strawberries in the hot sun or doing day-labor at construction sites).

    The problem with "studies" is that many of the people doing them and reporting on them don't understand that correlation does not imply causation.

  184. As a short woman ... I'm screwed. by KarmicNewt · · Score: 1

    As a woman who is 5'1", I am extra screwed when it comes to getting good pay.

    1. Re:As a short woman ... I'm screwed. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're what?!

  185. Great! by saintan · · Score: 1

    I'll just add this to my list of reasons for why I have Napolean's Complex...

    --
    ****--- A fortune cookie once told me the meaning of life...so I ate it. ---****
  186. Job interview techniques, footwear by raider_red · · Score: 1

    I always wear cowboy boots to job interviews. Seriously, I do. The extra 1 1/2" always seems to have a positive impact. Besides, you're more likely to be remembered when you're interviewed along with several other candidates.

    --
    It's good to use your head, but not as a battering ram.
  187. I dont know about More Money by NetNinja · · Score: 1

    When I was in the Marine Corps they ALWAYS appointed the taller person in charge on details and other odds and ends.
    Of course your time in service and rank gave you privllages but they always wanted a taller person in charge.

    When the Soviet generals and thier staff came to Camp Lejune in the early eighties to see a Marine Air Ground Task Force excercise The Marine Corps in all thier wisdom chose Marines who were 6ft tall and taller to do the demonstration. The Soviet General Commented on how well the officers executed thier manuvers. The American General said "Thank you. But those are our enlisted men."

  188. Isn' some knowledge of simple arithmetic required? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    From the article:

    The study, released Thursday, was controlled for gender, weight and age, and found that each inch in height added about $789 a year in pay.

    "If you take this over the course of a 30-year career and compound it, we're talking about literally hundreds of thousands of dollars of earnings advantage that a tall person enjoys," Judge said.


    30 times $789 is in the hundreds of thousands?
    These people make money doing this? And then
    other people take them seriously? What did I miss
    here?


  189. Alternate explanation by Gorimek · · Score: 1

    Sure, being tall has some social advantages, unless you're a woman. But there are other factors.

    Healthy people are in general, on average, somewhat better at all things, physical and mental, than others. They are also taller. For example, under nourished kids grow up to be shorter than well fed ones. And their brains, like the rest of their organisms, also develop less well than they had potential for.

    So it's no surprise if tall people tend to perform better at most things, even where physical height is not an immediate advantage for the task.

    This is in line with the finding that beautiful people are snarter than others. Seriously, research shows!

  190. Well what about MEDIUM height?!?! by lysium · · Score: 1
    To hell with short people AND tall people. Yeah, that's right. It's just like in school, where the smart and the dumb get all the attention. We sit comfortably in the bell curve (and indeed, sustain It's pleasing shape), but we receive not a whit of credit. Let's end this black-white duality once and for all: there are many shades of grey!

    ============

    --
    Together, we will drive the rats from the tundra.
  191. rofl by denjin · · Score: 1

    LMAO. :)

    If the moderation system was working for me today, I'd mod you up myself.

    Anyway, no, the lumberjack comment doesn't apply to me. :)

    1. Re:rofl by The_K4 · · Score: 1

      Ok, just making sure.

  192. Sw33t by TLouden · · Score: 1

    Bring on the $$$. I've heard this before and I believe that the reasoning behind it is that as a child a tall person is looked up to and learns the social and leadership skills that bring better, higher paying, jobs later in life.

    --
    -Tim Louden
  193. Fun With Statistics by Caiwyn · · Score: 1

    Yeah... and men make more money than women, right?

  194. What about RACE? by arth1 · · Score: 1

    Asians and Hispanic people are on average shorter than a Paleface or Black. And I'm willing to bet that they on average earn much less too.

    If race isn't taken into consideration, I'm sure you can make plenty of other "studies" where you imply causes that just are circumstantial correlations. I'm certain that catholics in the US on average earn less than protestants, for example. And really tall people are much more likely to get sickle cell anemia.

    Regards,
    --
    *Art

    1. Re:What about RACE? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Asians make less than blacks?????

    2. Re:What about RACE? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      As a matter of fact, no, we don't. The typical 2nd-generation Asian-American over 30 is a homeowner and/or business owner, or is on his/her way to becoming one of the above, in terms of education and career. And we don't have too many of our workforce-eligible kin stuck in the penal system.

      But then again, we don't have many basketball players or gangsta rappers inflating our finances either, so I guess that would be to our disadvantage.

      No disrespect to the black Americans out there, but seriously, to suggest that we Asian-Americans make less than our typically-taller Afro-American counterparts on average is incorrect, just as it would have been for someone to make the same claim about whites as compared to Latinos. I'm not stating any judgment on the fairness involved in this reality.

    3. Re:What about RACE? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Asians" include Pakistanis, Indians and other large groups that traditionally don't make much money. At least not in Britain, where the study is from.

  195. Let the Pun Begin by DeadBugs · · Score: 1

    I'm stumped. How can they be short changed like that? What kind of small minded managers would let a little thing like this happen?

    --
    http://www.kubuntu.org/
  196. Mod Parent Up by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Fools! Do none of you watch ZIM!?

  197. Short bias by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Is there no end to the supply of short vindictive
    bigots in this world? They should just grow up.

  198. Exactly by aaandre · · Score: 1

    Did they base their research on NBA players?
    They say that study was based on "thousands" of subjects. Well if there were even a few pro basketball players in it, their income would be sufficient to raise the overall average.

    Statistics are a great instrument of argument as they are so easy to manipulate.

    On the other hand, if you are taller, more handsome, more ambicious, with a deeper voice etc. your chances to make more money *and* mate more *are* higher :)

  199. MOD PARENT UP by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    imagine the possibilities of that technique applied to other skeletal parts of your body...

    enlarge your skull to make more room for your brain!
    elongate your fingers to enhance your grabbing ability!
    make your arms longer so you can walk on all fours!

  200. It's because of ALCOHOL by 0xG · · Score: 1

    ...we can get served in bars or liquor stores at a younger age. Drinking more, younger, makes us smarter. That's why they pay us the big bucks!

    --
    A pox on web designers who feel that window.innerWidth == screen.availWidth
  201. MOD UP! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Seriously, this is one of the most fascinating medical innovations I've ever heard about.

    To the original poster: Do you if any of these orthopedists do "cosmetic" lengthening?

    1. Re:MOD UP! by deathcow · · Score: 1

      Absolutely. And there are basketball players closer to baskets now as a result.

  202. Did they take class into account? by bkhl · · Score: 1

    This kind of studies seldom gets it right if they don't take all the important properties of the demographic into account. I wouldn't be surprised if this study didn't take into account that people from the upper classes tend to eat better, and are therefore taller.

    There was a similar thing a few years back when some study showed that drinking wine is healthier than trinking beer. It turns out that the study did'n take into account that people from the middle and upper classes drink more wine while drinking beer is more typical of the working class.

    1. Re:Did they take class into account? by Frobnicator · · Score: 1
      This kind of studies seldom gets it right if they don't take all the important properties of the demographic into account.
      In addition to the properties you mentioned, [political correctness police please ignore this] the race of the people should be considered. The normal people in nearby china-town stand at about four-foot-nothing, in the little-mexico neighborhood a few miles away they stand about 5'5" or shorter, and the few other ethnic areas around my city are all generally shorter than the white-european people. The only real exception that I know of is the Tongan community, many those that I've seen look like a cross between a basketball player and a well-muscled bear. But these stereotypical Tongans also work in physical labor jobs that don't command a lot of money.

      I'm reminded of a scene that I saw a while ago in a magazine: an American standing on a bullet-train in Japan. There were a bunch of heads from the native japanese population, and an American sticking out above the crowd from his chest up, and hunching over slightly to fit in the train.

      I'd love to get my hands on a copy of that study, and read it very carefully.

      frob

      --
      //TODO: Think of witty sig statement
  203. i kept thinking... by thegnu · · Score: 1

    you were being sarcastic.

    good for you.

    --
    Please stop stalking me, bro.
  204. Women figured this out a long time ago by Magnus+Pym · · Score: 1

    That is why tall guys do better with women than short ones, on the average.

    Magnus.

    1. Re:Women figured this out a long time ago by Afrosheen · · Score: 1

      Yes, but ironically enough, short guys want tall girls, and short girls end up with tall guys most of the time.

      I'm 6' 7" and my wife is 5' 4". All of my girlfriends have been..uh...vertically challenged. I guess all they really need is a bed warmer and someone to reach that top shelf.

    2. Re:Women figured this out a long time ago by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, but ironically enough, short guys want tall girls, and short girls end up with tall guys most of the time.

      In actual fact it more often appears to be women than men who are concerned about the height (and earnings) of potential partners. Can't be feminists being too pleased about an alternative "glass ceiling" explanation though...

  205. Do Women Earn Less Because They're Shorter by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is also known that women earn less than men on average. It would be interesting to determine how much of the discrepency between male/female income could be attributed to this height affect alone.

  206. Size Matters by FrankDrebin · · Score: 1

    Dear Boss,

    The workplace is a dangerous environment. A lotta accidents can happen if you're not careful. Like maybe some drops a paperclip and it bends itself straight, flips up and becomes lodged in your eye. A trip to the hospital would be most unfortunate.

    A big tall strapping dude, such as myself, can prevent things like this from happening to you. All it takes is the addition of "safety advisor bonus" to my paycheck. I'm confident you will find that it's worth it.

    Signed,
    Bruno

    --
    Anybody want a peanut?
  207. A Dilbert Cartoon by TaraByte · · Score: 1

    This is perfectly explained here

    --
    Security is inversely proportional to the commitment of one desiring to circumvent it.
  208. except that bush ain't really 6 feet by mapmaker · · Score: 1
    that number is just another one of his lies (troll! troll! :))

    seriously, he's no more than 5'-10". 5'-9" is probably the truth.

    have a look about 3/4 down the page on this article at National Review which I might add is a *very* right leaning/pro-Bush publication.

    or at this cnn photo of Bush and Putin, keeping in mind that Putin is a *very* short man.

  209. YOU TEH LOSE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    nice try, troll

  210. One obvious control left out or thier list. by orichter · · Score: 1

    I can think on one obvious control left out of thier list of controls. I believe it is fairly well established that someone with poor health is less likely to reach thier full height potential. That means you could expect poor people to be shorter, and simply unhealthy to be shorter. I would expect that both of these groups to statistically be paid less that rich/healthy people. If it turns out that rich/healthy people are statistically not taller, or if they had accounted for the difference, this study might have some merrit. Otherwise, they missed at least one control.

  211. Shorter people make less money....Bull! by thewiz · · Score: 1

    I am married to a wonderful lady who is only 4'3" tall. She works for an aerospace company as an engineer (and blond!) and makes over $55K/year. Her company and team have said on several occasions that she is an indespensible resource.

    I am 6'2" and have been out of work for almost two years now. And employers are not flocking to my door to hire me because I'm tall.

    The amount of money you make depends on how well you perform your job and much the company you work for values you as a person. If you feel that the company you work for is paying you less because you're short: find another company to work for!

    --
    If "disco" means "I learn" in Latin, does "discothèque" mean "I learn technology"?
    1. Re:Shorter people make less money....Bull! by Tiny+Elvis · · Score: 1
      Hmm, let's see, peer reviewed research study vs. some Slashdot poster's anecdotal example of an exception.. I'm going with the research study..


      By the way, do you understand of concept of statistical averages? The point is that on average taller people are getting more money that shorter people for the same job; that doesn't mean that there won't be exceptional examples.

  212. That's all well and good, but when you factor in.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Expenses tall people have it is not so unequal. I am 6'5" and cannot fit in coach airline seats, I can only shop at rochester big and tall, I needed a queen size bed to sleep comfortably from age 15, I'm more likely to have back problems, more likely to have high blood pressure (which I do), and I am only 18 now. I have another 3 years left.

    so 800 bucks a year more per 6 or so inches is supposed to makeup for that difference? Yeah and I really did not enjoy having to bend down to listen to the 5'1" girl I was seeing last year. Oh, and I can't fit in 80% of cars either.

  213. short chicks by thegnu · · Score: 1

    you can also run away from short chicks, especially with high heels. i've never had to, but i am prepared. women terrify me. the smaller the better.

    --
    Please stop stalking me, bro.
  214. Gattaca GATTACA Gattaca GATTACA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Gattaca.

    It's coming. See, if you don't have "perfect" DNA, you're gonna be just a 3rd class peon.

    They did the leg surgery on Vincent to make him taller too.

  215. ??? What the hell ?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How FUCKING tall are you??? my god man.

    BTW - can you get my kite out of the tree?

  216. Short People by djeaux · · Score: 1
    Short People got no reason
    Short People got no reason
    Short People got no reason
    To live

    They got little hands
    Little eyes
    They walk around
    Tellin' great big lies
    They got little noses
    And tiny little teeth
    They wear platform shoes
    On their nasty little feet

    Well, I don't want no Short People
    Don't want no Short People
    Don't want no Short People
    `Round here

    Short People are just the same
    As you and I
    (A Fool Such As I)
    All men are brothers
    Until the day they die
    (It's A Wonderful World)

    Short People got nobody
    Short People got nobody
    Short People got nobody
    To love

    They got little baby legs
    That stand so low
    You got to pick 'em up
    Just to say hello
    They got little cars
    That got beep, beep, beep
    They got little voices
    Goin' peep, peep, peep
    They got grubby little fingers
    And dirty little minds
    They're gonna get you every time
    Well, I don't want no Short People
    Don't want no Short People
    Don't want no Short People
    'Round here

    -- Randy Newman (1977)

    --
    "Obviously, I'm not an IBM computer any more than I'm an ashtray" (Bob Dylan)
  217. Re:I think you left out the most important conclus by lgftsa · · Score: 1

    Wow, I'm listening to that right now.

    I know that with the number of people who have MP3 players running on their PCs, there's a good chance that any song mentioned will have someone listening to it as they read the reference, but I still think it's pretty spooky.

  218. meaningless by updog · · Score: 1
    Statements like this are completely meaningless.

    let's suppose you take a group of people, and divide them into 2 groups, "short" and "tall". The average of one of these groups will make more than the other.

    Then you can say either "short" people earn more, or "tall" people earn more.

    This of course doesn't prove or mean anything.

  219. Jocky, hell...... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... if you're also rather lightweight in addition to being short, I'd get into aerobatic aircraft performing instead. Since the best aerobatic aircraft are all engine and have no room in the cockpit, you'd "fit right in" so to speak. The best aerobatic pilots are smaller folk too. They can tolerate ridiculous g-forces much better without passing out or throwing up or both.

  220. it all works out by pizza_milkshake · · Score: 1

    ...because tall people need bigger clothes!

  221. You insensitive clod... by jbarr · · Score: 1
    ...their shorter co-workers...
    Um, shouldn't it have been "...their vertically challenged co-workers..."?
    --
    My mom always said, "Jim, you're 1 in a million." Given the current population, there are 7000 of me. God help us all!
  222. as they teach you in psych 101... by dfj225 · · Score: 1

    correlation doesn't imply causation.

    --
    SIGFAULT
  223. Been there, done that by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This has actually been know for quite some time and by quite a few people. The theory behind it is that taller people tend to "command more respect". It has to do with our Alpha Wolf instincts, subconsiously when a shorter person is negotiating with a taller person, the shorter person puts themselves at a subconsious disadvantage. Over time, this leads to the shorter person's self esteem being lower when compared to that of the taller person, exacerbating the problem. Proof to this? If you are shorter than 5'10" try to fit in a Dodge Viper. The car was designed for business executives (because of it's sticker price). After Dodge had done the research they concluded that the average executive was actually taller than 6'0" (6'1" if I recall) and built the car around a 6'1" body. Even with the adjustable seat, @ 5'9" your feet have a hard time reaching the pedals. Stupid, but true.

    1. Re:Been there, done that by xintegerx · · Score: 1

      Why is it stupid? I used to drive a late 80's model american/asian car that hasn't been made for a long time (figure it out) in America, and I had to crunch my body in it and ruin my posture. Why is it stupid that there are cars now built for taller people? Although only 4% of men and 2% percent of women are above six foot tall (or something similar), a car for US is great--thank you alerting me about the dodge viper.

  224. Just think... by JordanH · · Score: 1
    How much more could Verne Troyer make if he were just three feet taller!

    On average, this story seems to imply he could expect about $28,404 more per year!

  225. Shoe size determines intelligence! by Zurgutt · · Score: 1

    Its true! Extensive stydy among kindergarden children has shown that there is strong correlation between shoe size and intelligence!

  226. The wage gap is a myth. by orichter · · Score: 1

    It turns out that most of the wage gap can be explained mostly by marriage and children. When you compare men and women who have never had children, it turns out women make 98% of what men make. The following links attempt to explain what may account for some of the remaining 2%. I though I had read that unmarried women with no children make 102% of what unmarried men without any children make. Before you dismiss the following articles as anti-femenist BS, consider this. If nationwide, women with the same work experience in the same jobs made 74 cents on the dollar, don't you think there would be a massive,bankrupting wave of lawsuits in this country?

    Some references:
    http://www.aei.org/news/newsID.17864/ news_detail.a sp

    The wage gap shrinks dramatically when multiple factors are considered. Women with similar levels of education and experience earn as much as their male counterparts. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, CBO director June O'Neill found that, among people ages twenty-seven to thirty-three who have never had a child, women's earnings are close to 98 percent of men's. Dr. O'Neill notes that "when earnings comparisons are restricted to men and women more similar in their experience and life situations, the measured earnings differentials are typically quite small."

    http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba/ba392/

    When women behave in the workplace as men do, the wage gap between them is small. June O'Neill, former director of the Congressional Budget Office, found that among people ages 27 to 33 who have never had a child, women's earnings approach 98 percent of men's. Women who hold positions and have skills and experience similar to those of men face wage disparities of less than 10 percent, and many are within a couple of points. Claims of unequal pay almost always involve comparing apples and oranges.

    1. Re:The wage gap is a myth. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm pretty certain you're either lying or misinformed. The studies that show women earn .75 to every 1.00 a man makes specifically state that it compared only men and women in the same profession with similar education and other qualifications.

    2. Re:The wage gap is a myth. by jazman_777 · · Score: 1
      It turns out that most of the wage gap can be explained mostly by marriage and children.

      Please don't confuse us with the facts, please. We need myths! We want myths!

      --
      Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
    3. Re:The wage gap is a myth. by orichter · · Score: 1

      Since you're an anonymous coward, I'll take what you say with a grain of salt, but can you please provide a reference to a study which showed a wage gap of 75 cents to the dollar for men and women without children? Or are we to take the "pretty certain" of an Anonymous Coward over the two provided references to a legitimate study which I provided. I may be misinformed, but your post is totally uninformed, and uninformative.

    4. Re:The wage gap is a myth. by YanceyAI · · Score: 1
      Actually, most sociologists use this study to point to another "discrimination," in that if you compare women with children to men with children, women earn less.

      Some sociologists argue that it is because of the "choices" women make. Most say it is because women, while now expected to work full time, still have the lion's share of the household duties like dealing with fiances, household chores, child rearing, grocery shopping, and posting on Slashdot, all of which interfere with their ability to get ahead at work. And even if they don't have the lion's share, most employers still assume that if they have children, they will not have time to be fullly committed to their careers.

      And no, there would not be a massive assault of lawsuits because the ERA never passed, essentially meaning that discrimination is still constitutional.

      --
      Can I bum a sig?
  227. HOWMANYMOREFUCKINGLATTES? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think you've had quite enough, JUSTONEMORELATTE.

  228. Pop-up?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    WTF is up with the pop-up ads?

  229. UPDTAE: stats were skewed... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... by including the salaries and heights of NBA players. we are normalizing the data now by including some professional jockeys stats.. stay tuned.

  230. men are longer by jooon · · Score: 1

    Other studies have shown that men earn more money than women. They are also a bit taller. hmmmm

  231. Well... by haxor.dk · · Score: 1

    Kids with bigger feet also score better grades than kids with small feet.

  232. Professional athletes anyone? by thridur · · Score: 1

    Considering the article doesn't go much into how they chose their sample or anything, I think that it would be safe to say that professional athletes severely skew the numbers.

    When you consider that most football and basketball players are between 6' and probably 6'8" tall, it isn't hard to imagine that their million dollar salaries don't skew the results for tall people.

  233. Snore by Roadkills-R-Us · · Score: 1

    This is only, what, the 308th study to reach this conclusion in the past half century? I don't doubt that the compensational difference shifts a percent or two now and then, but it's hardly news.

  234. Correlation with Nutrition? by Phat_Tony · · Score: 1

    I would think that, to what extent this is real, it's a correlation, with nutrition being the underlying cause of both the height & the salary (via intelligence). I've heard before that tall people are, on average, smarter than short people. This is because some people are short due to genetics, and presumably have the same average intelligence as the population at large, while others are short due to nutritional deficits (or chemical exposure, or other invironmental factors) that probably also had a toll on mental, as well as physical, development. Thus the cause & effect chain is

    (environmental factor) -> (developmental problems) -> {(shorter than would otherwise be) & (dumber than would otherwise be)}, and (dummer)->(poorer on average).

    Remember this is all about averages. There's plenty of rich, smart, midgets, just less on average than the rich, smart, giants. And while some braniac midgets are genetically short, others might be stunted due to environmental factors and would have been even smarter than they are if it weren't for the environmental problem. Yet others may be short, dumb as a post for whatever reason (genetic or environmental), and still rich. there's just less of 'em than the tall rich ones.

    Just as a side note, I wonder how much bias professional athletes alone throw into this whole equation.

    I'd also like to note that some people who are much better informed disagree with me, so you should probably ignore me and go read what they have to say.

    --
    Can anyone tell me how to set my sig on Slashdot?
  235. Ask Yoda by fbrathwaite · · Score: 1

    Size Matters Not!...

    Empire Strikes Back: Jedi Master Yoda
  236. Height... by nitrocloud · · Score: 1

    5 times 12 is equal to 60 + 7 = 67, meaning you are a short, 5 feet and 6 inches. Isn't the male national average about 5' 8"?

    --
    Karma: Good, or bust!
  237. And in later repeat of study, by cmdrwhitewolf · · Score: 1

    It was found that being a career basketball player caused your hair to turn blue, along with all those little white ATM reciept slips in your wallet looking suddenly quite a bit greener than when you last looked at them...

    --
    [Now, I'm off to lift my le... Um, visit... at another place.]
  238. Tall people do MORE WORK! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    when the hell will the short people figure out that I have to do much more work to lift anything since I have to lift them higher than a short person.

    Hell, try lifting 9 beers to your mouth in a couple of hours. They keep getting heavier and heavier...

  239. Re:I think you left out the most important conclus by jrockway · · Score: 1

    Did you buy the CD? If not, off to jail you go...

    --
    My other car is first.
  240. Short people are not taken as seriously. by jellomizer · · Score: 1

    It is more of an issue that Short People are paid less. As a shorter build person 5'5" I know from experience. It is a situation when trying to explain something the taller person will always get taken more seriously even when the shorter person makes the better presentation. It is possible in more extreme situations as well where the taller person is talking complete BS while the short person has solid facts. The taller person on the average will win out.

    --
    If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
  241. RTFA! by ucblockhead · · Score: 1

    Perhaps they should have controlled for gender in the study.

    --
    The cake is a pie
  242. Big tits? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You don't happen to have big tits and wear short dresses do you? From my experience that seems to create situations like yours quite often.

    1. Re:Big tits? by Ptraci · · Score: 1

      Your "experience" must be quite short.

  243. I love the smell of my ball sweat by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    how about you guys?

  244. give me a break by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sounds like your gripes about being tall are just the result of an unbalanced attitude man.

    As far as tall vs short goes, just open your eyes and watch what happens when two attractive men (one short and the other tall) arrive at a party.

    All the women check out the tall on, the short one is ignored. And many of the men will defer somewhat to the taller man, and actually employ physical intimidation (often unconsciously) against the shorter one - thru not ceding the 'right of way', etc.

    Then imagine having this occur to you day after day through your entire life. Now - do you wonder even for a second why some parents are considering expensive, painful, and experimental surgery and drugs to help their short children grow just a few more inches - and no parents appear to be taking any of the easy steps to stunt their children's growth?

  245. Re:I think you left out the most important conclus by jazman_777 · · Score: 1
    It's because tall people are better.

    Can't believe no one's mentioned Randy Newman's _Short People_ song yet. Any self-respecting tall person knows that one by heart.

    Short People

    Short People got no reason
    Short People got no reason
    Short People got no reason
    To live

    They got little hands
    Little eyes
    They walk around
    Tellin' great big lies
    They got little noses
    And tiny little teeth
    They wear platform shoes
    On their nasty little feet

    Well, I don't want no Short People
    Don't want no Short People
    Don't want no Short People
    `Round here

    Short People are just the same
    As you and I
    (A Fool Such As I)
    All men are brothers
    Until the day they die
    (It's A Wonderful World)

    Short People got nobody
    Short People got nobody
    Short People got nobody
    To love

    They got little baby legs
    That stand so low
    You got to pick 'em up
    Just to say hello
    They got little cars
    That go beep, beep, beep
    They got little voices
    Goin' peep, peep, peep
    They got grubby little fingers
    And dirty little minds
    They're gonna get you every time
    Well, I don't want no Short People
    Don't want no Short People
    Don't want no Short People
    'Round here
    --
    Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
  246. Height IS adventageous by macmurph · · Score: 1

    What I dont like about the article is that they suggeest that being tall is not advantageous and that it is unfair that tall people are paid more.

    Being tall has many, many advantages... tall people are percieved differently...perhaps as more intimidating to an enemy, more capable of defending young, able to see over high objects (and crowds), reach things from high places, climb trees even when the lowest limb is out of reach for others. And many other primal benefits.

    There is a whole branch of ergonomic design called Human Factors that, for example, indicates that tall people have longer arms and are able to reach controls on a dashboard that short people cannot. (in contrast there are a lot places a tall person simply wont fit...handing the advantage to smaller people)

    Tall genes are advantageous. This translates into sexual attraction. Sure, Ive been attracted to many many short women, but I'd kinda prefer a tall one as a mate. In my priorities, this is more important to me than breast size. Sexual attraction helps to sell products.

    To say that the benefits of being tall never come up in your typical sales job is ludicrous. Thats a silly assumption on the part of these researchers. Go on a business trip and watch who is able to see over the Mardi Gras revelers, or see the sign over crowds in the NYC subway, stare down the competition at a convention. The tall guy is always being asked to do random stuff "hey can you get my bag in the overhead bin?", "Do you see an allen wrench on top of the server rack?"...and I think its worth an extra thousand bucks a year.

    I think they should do a study on who is more confident, tall or short people. Intangable as confidence is...a confident employee is a better employee for a variety of reasons.

    Short people have their place too, and in those places they should be paid more...and they usually make sure of it. e.g. Bill Gates, Napoleon, Tom Cruise, et. al.

  247. Interesting by isorox · · Score: 1

    Yahoo say Tall people earn more. The BBC say Short people earn less. I guess its half full/half empty

  248. This is true. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm not tall, only 5'11, but I'm built like an NFL linebacker, 5'11 225-245 most of the time, 52-55 inch chest (depending on how hard I'm hitting the weights), 18.5 inch arms (or greater) even when I'm not working out, shoulders broad enough to fill out an XXL (or XXXL) shirt even when I'm skinny (I only weigh 200 now), and people usually guess my weight is about 30-40 pounds less than it is, because most of it's muscle. You would be surprised how much that affects how people treat you. My boss was 6'4, 230, but you could tell that he behaved differently around me than my coworker, who was 5'9, 160. It can change things. I've noticed. I wonder if they could do a study of muscle mass and determine how much that affects pay. I try not to use my size when I am around others. Usually I am relaxed, but it can make a difference in a debate. Most people tell me I'm a nice guy, and I enjoy online debate, which is where it's all about the substance of what you say rather than presence.

  249. p values for nerds. by glrotate · · Score: 1

    Why is it you gave to go 5 levels deep in this discussion until the p value is mentioned?

  250. Jon Holmes... by KrackHouse · · Score: 1

    ... made a lot of cash, thoughts?

    --
    What if Digg added local news and a Slashdot inspired comment karma system? ---
    http://houndwire.com
  251. It must be true!!!! by failedlogic · · Score: 1

    It must be true! Lee Majors, whom played the Six Million Dollar man is 6'2". http://www.filmbug.com/db/296873

    So not only do taller people earn more money, but they accumulate vast fortunes. Much more than the extra $700 a week would explain.

  252. Statistical Error by xp · · Score: 1

    These statistics might be meaningless unless they excluded all the basketball players. Most of the really rich people I know are also really short. Also note that the Dilbertian PHB is short.

    --
    My zany take on reality

  253. Hired because of height by c64cryptoboy · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Back in the 1950's, my father (who is only a mere 6'3") was selected for a sales position over another applicant. He was later told by his manager that the deciding factor was that he was taller.

    --
    I put the 'fun' in fundamentalism
  254. Does anyone on /. know anything about regression? by glrotate · · Score: 1

    Do the regression with the other variables, do the regression without the other variable, compare results.

    http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8& oe =UTF-8&q=t+test+restricted+regression&spel l=1

  255. Data skewed by !3ren · · Score: 1

    ..because of money averaged over shorter lifespan due to forehead/door jamb interactions..

  256. ObTimeBandits by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And if one of us shortish people brings it up, we're told we have a "Napolean complex", as if they even know what that means apart from that Napolean was also kind of short.

    "Alexander the Great. Five feet exactly. Isn't that incredible? Alexander the Great, whose empire stretched from India to Hungary, one inch shorter than me. Oliver Cromwell... the only man with any guts in British history... not a big man at all. Louis XIV: 5'2.5". Charlemagne, dumpy little five-footer-- he's quite a little chap. Atilla the Hun, 5' 1/2"; Cyrano de Bergerac, 5' 3 1/2"... Tamburlaine the Great... 4' 9 3/4"..."

  257. That is why I am moving to Japan . . . by Idou · · Score: 1

    Here I am a shrimp, there I am a TALL shrimp.

    --
    Sdelat' Ameriku velikoy Snova!
  258. short + red hair by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Short (this article) + red hair ( http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/10/14/224821 8&mode=thread&tid=134 ) = not making enough money to handle the pain I'm experiencing from this news.

  259. The Almighty Tallest! by embobo · · Score: 1

    I, for one, welcome our new Irken Overlords.
    Mmm, snacks.

  260. Bush is 6'0 ??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    wow. He does a real good job of portraying himself as a pipsqueak, then :/

  261. Re:Dubious Study, not really... by jazman_777 · · Score: 1
    ...it's whether we're still tied to longstanding biological instinct...

    Trying to eradicate that is ludicrous, for all you meddling social engineers. Reality will always win in the end.

    --
    Slashdot: Failed Car Analogies. Amateur Lawyering. Anecdote Battles.
  262. Wow... by Gothic_Walrus · · Score: 1

    I feel so...shortchanged.

    --
    Goo goo g'joob.
  263. Alternate Study from UPenn by kauffee · · Score: 2, Informative

    Being short, I've researched this topic a bit and while most of the research corroborates this study, another study done by UPenn economists provides an alternative hypothesis. Here's the link to the paper:
    http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id =293122

    Basically, their argument is that a person's relative adolescent height is a better indicator than their adult height. Short kids who end up tall earn like short people, while tall kids who end up short earn like tall people. You could extend this and probably make some kind of argument about a child's self-esteem and self-confidence as being the ultimate indicator in how well they do as adults.

  264. Ladder Theory Explains All! by netolder · · Score: 1

    Check out the "Ladder Theory" at http://www.intellectualwhores.com/masterladder.htm l. Height is only one aspect of preferential treatment, whether by a potential employer, or a potential spouse. Not especially scientific, but intriguing nonetheless.

  265. Affirmative action... by frank_adrian314159 · · Score: 1
    ... for short people! NOW!

    And tell 'em Randy Newman sent you...

    --
    That is all.
  266. Biggest pile of crap I've ever heard... by Captain+Splendid · · Score: 1

    With my height (6'6") I should be woth a couple of million right now.

    --
    Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
  267. An interesting question...... by Spyro+VII · · Score: 1

    How tall is Bill Gates then?

  268. At 6'9".... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I should be making alot of money according to this study. But I don't.... Plus, the fact that I have to pay extra to get larger clothes, shoes, condoms :-P, and better seating in airplanes cost extra, reduced number of cars I can sit in comforatably, which means ultimately I have less take home than my shorter co-workers...

    Life is unfair.

    I will be starting a tall man support group for those who are feeling discriminated against...

  269. obvious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    white people are taller

  270. Tesla was taller than Edison by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why Edison was much richer than Tesla?

    1. Re:Tesla was taller than Edison by nxs212 · · Score: 1

      don't forget that Tesla was smarter too :)and much less of a prick.
      In this case Edison held on to his patents where Tesla sold to Westinghouse. When Edison realized that his DC was useless for long runs, he started badmouthing Tesla. (saying that AC + high currents are deadly...well, duhh)
      Btw, Westinghouse made a lot of money w/ Tesla's patents.

  271. Shades of GATTACA? by NeuroManson · · Score: 1

    I wonder if we're going to see a surge in surgical leg extension procedures in the future.

    (a torturous procedure, where the bones of the leg are surgically cut, then systematically stretched/rebroken over months to add new length to the healing bone)

    --
    Just because you can mod me down, doesn't mean you're right. Shoes for industry!
  272. This explains part of the male/female gap in pay by waveman · · Score: 1

    Women are a lot shorter than men on average. So according to this study they would be expected to earn less.

    They also spend only 1/2 as many hours in the work force, so they get less experience. They choose jobs with more regular hours and more pleasant work environments.

    Put all that together and you are left with nothing for sex based discrimination to explain.

  273. TECSans by waveman · · Score: 1

    Tall Energetic Confident Stupid = TECSans.

    You see these types glide up the corporate ladder, leaving a trail of destruction in their wake.

  274. The secret to being short and successful... by jkauzlar · · Score: 1

    The secret is to act tall. I'm 5'5", but I have a pretty good salary because I act tall. I complain about my clothes being too tight and not being able to fit into airplane seats. I also try to bump my head on light fixtures and other stuff that's hung really low and then complain loudly about why they have to hang stuff so low.

  275. What explains... by Crazen · · Score: 1

    What explains the 4'5" Lady who "allegedly" works at the same company I work at never showing up and still getting an obscenely large paycheck for the little she does?

  276. Re:Dubious Study, not really... by jonnystiph · · Score: 1

    really off-topic here.

    However my $.02 I am a 6'6" male. No outwardly hideous disfigurations or anything of that nature. My dating life is what I would call fair. However, I find that a lot of times women are intimated by my hieght. Precieved as threatening. Granted I am an old punk. So the leather jacket and the boots are still there, but thats about it. With that said, being tall and dating does have its disadvantages as well. Its hard to talk to someone that is scared shitless of you. ;)

    --

    If we don't make light of everything, we are just stumbling in the dark - Blank

  277. well.. by mantera · · Score: 1


    How does that fit in with the general impression, and demographic fact, that there's a certain race amongst us for whom wealth and shortness are both a stereotype and a scientific correlation.

    Such race was despised and persecuted by those who admired Aryan and Nordic physical characteristics, while at the same time acknowledged, as they have been throughout history and societies, for their earning ability and financial clout.

  278. there's also one other thing... by mantera · · Score: 1


    The study was controlled for gender, weight and age, but mention nothing about race or social background. I wonder to what extent being tall and high earning would simply be a reflection that someone belongs to a somewhat prosperous background or had been well fed and cared for when growing up. I have seen short immigrants who, both husband and wife, stood af 5'4" yet their offspring who were born in the west stood at near 6". It's also worth mentioning that prosperity in society has led to an increase in average height over time. Europeans and Americans are considerably taller than their ancestors.

  279. Not so obvious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ah, but you fail to take into account that earning power tends to rise with age thus expanding the pool of available money. Parental attention, of course, tends not to be able to expand, though.

  280. Controlling for Occupation by l3prador · · Score: 0

    The news article says that gender, age and weight were controlled, but not occupation. It would be much more relevant if the study was controlled and divided up according to field of employment. This could easily skew the results. The study mentions professional basketball, but it was not controlled out. As you know, taller people are more likely to play in the NBA, and NBA players make a lot of money. Therefore, a taller person is more likely to make more money if they play basketball for a living. However, since this is averaged in with all other fields of employment, it can make it appear that a taller person is more likely to make more money as a doctor, which is not necessarily true or false and definitely not relevant to the observation of the NBA player. The study (or at least the portion of the study that the article has reported) does not give us enough data for us to conclude that there is causation. The amount per year average can be slightly misleading, as the amount of time spent working was also not controlled. For example, this is the flaw in the often quoted "75 cents to the dollar" figure for the amount of money women make. Perhaps taller people tend to work more. We don't know because the study did not control for this. Also, it would also be very useful if we were given the standard deviation.

  281. Because Harvard Already Did it Many Times by dumpster_dave · · Score: 1

    Harvard performed the original study, on men only, back in the 20's. They found a strong LINEAR relation between height and income. They have repeated this study many times [last time was in the late 80s] and found that the correlation has never changed.

    The Harvard study did check for similar backgrounds: they compared people who had the same degrees [or lack thereof] in the same fields, working in the same jobs, and even broke it down by GPA. By far, the most important determinate for you pay scale is your height--if you are a man.

    Why? It was explained as instinct--tall people are more likely to be given authority, and are more likely to have their authority obeyed. Of course, this tendency for humans to defer to the taller also creates a personality more suited to these responsibilities. Thus, they are more likely to move up whatever corporate ladder their near.

    If you are at a large corporation, just start taking note of the height of the management-types. I've worked for only two major corporations, but the correlation was undeniable. I was astounded that I hadn't noticed it until I came across the Harvard study and went to the following company meeting.

    PS I ran the 789$/inch through my own height: 99.75% accuracy--holy smokes.

  282. Tall Magazine... you know, for tall people by ccnull · · Score: 1

    Tall Magazine

    You short people can use the back issues to stand on.

  283. Nader did what he wanted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nader knew he didn't have a chance. He did what he wanted to do: get George W Bush in the white house....just to show how powerful he could be.

    1. Re:Nader did what he wanted by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Nader sat in the Supreme Court? Wow, I thought he was relying on election results like that sucker Gore.

  284. Tall People Earn More and they also have... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Tall People Earn More and they also have bigger dicks too!

  285. So it really *is* true.... by JackJudge · · Score: 1

    Size *does* matter :)

  286. Re: Scholarships for ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There are tons of scholarships for White Anglo-Saxon Men. How do you think George W. Bush graduated from Yale? On his academic performance?

  287. Mod parent +1 Funny, please! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Well, I thought it was funny!

  288. ASSHOLE!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU and then I will piss on your headless carcass, too.

  289. Re:I think you left out the most important conclus by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Randy Newman recently said in an interview that he regretted writing that song, because many people take it literally, and don't realise that it is a satire on racism.

  290. In my company among managers by haggar · · Score: 1

    In my company (50.000+ hardware and software company) virtually all of the midrange and low-range managers are tall. I have noticed this a couple of years ago, but it took me some time to be sure it's the correct conclusion, as I observed the phenomenon and got to know more managers during the years.

    Can't say much about the top managers, as I have never met any of them (as far as I know).

    I never thought about the correlation of height and salary, though. That would explain why, a colleague of mine who started to work at the same time as I did, at the same job I did and with the same university and professional background, got 10% more salary at the beginning.

    --
    Sigged!
  291. what theyt should have done by CAIMLAS · · Score: 1

    There's one critical element they forgot to incldue in this study: intelligence. Both intelligence and size are closely linked to the nutrients that a person gets while growing up, and in the womb. Could it not be that tall people are simply more intelligent, and thus warrant higher pay due to better performance?

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    ~/ssh slashdot.org ssh: connect to host slashdot.org port 22: too many beers
  292. Re: Next week - Tall, beautiful people make shitlo by megan_of_wutai · · Score: 1

    I've always wondered about that, I suspect people with Marfans syndrome skew the number somewhat.

    Considering the heart is a muscle I can't imagine it having to work harder over a lifetime would do it harm as such.

  293. As a 6'5" guy... by leviramsey · · Score: 1

    I'm happy to hear this news, but I must also point out that taller people, in general, tend to have higher living expenses than you shorties out there.

    One simple example: clothing. I cannot buy off-the-shelf pants (my size is 32-inch waist, 36-inch inseam). I have to special order everything, which effectively eliminates sales on such attire.

    Another: transportation. I cannot fit in anything smaller than a midsize car (anything below a Saturn L-Series is out) and the best fit comes with a full-size sedan (or an SUV...), which means that I'll be spending $10,000 more than average on a car. If I take a plane, I'll have trouble sitting in coach; either spend more time (and time is money) at the airport in order to get a bulkhead seat or upgrade to business or first class.

    It ain't easy being tall, but then again, being tall, thin (190 lbs), and having a 10.3:1 ratio between standing height and height "lying down" as it were tends to make me more popular with the ladies... ;o)

  294. i agree by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Being almost 7 feet I agree...

    Damn where is my check? oops i am unemployed :(

  295. Tall people spend more. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'll tell you where the money will probably go:

    - Oversize clothes and shoes.
    - Oversize bed, mattresses and bedding.
    - Big car.
    - Plane and train rides only possible in 1st/business class.

    ~700$ more every year? Yeah, big deal, thank you very much.

  296. Research DOES cause cancer in rats! by instarx · · Score: 1

    Believe it or not, you are right - the act of conducting research on rats increases the likelyhood they will develop cancer. It is common knowledge that stress increases the risk for cancer. Strains of lab rats and mice used for cancer research are bred to be cancer-prone anyway, and the stress of being studied increases the cancer rate of the study-group. One study in the 60's learned that just the act of picking mice out of their cages daily for weighing (by the tail) caused a measurable increase in the cancer rate. As a control, good studies now pick up all mice and treat them all identically in this and other ways.

    So, the answer to your question is - yes, the researchers probably controlled for the other variables in the height study. These sorts of controls are de rigeur these days in any study outside of junior-high science class.

    Incidently, this height/success relationship has been known for years. Not sure why this is being treated as news.

  297. 5'4" is median for a woman. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Now even the median is a challenge.

  298. Domestic violence by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's no wonder that women so consistently get their bitch asses whipped. They spread their legs based on height. They deserve every beating, every skull fracture, every murder.

    Look at match.com or wherever. Height is an important criterion for all but a very few, and they're probably lying. Does it matter that the bitch is fat? Does it matter that she's old? Does it matter that she's dumber than dog droppings? Nope, she wants her cooze a tall man.

    Filthy cunts!

  299. Napoleon complex by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Biggest bullshit cover your ass thing to say about another person

    A tall, or even average, person with ambition is just that, ambitious, a go-getter.

    A short person doing the same is compensating for height.

    What are the tall people compensating for?

    Fucked from the start.

  300. It's this thing called physics. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mechanics, to be more specific. It turns out that there are rules governing motion in the world around us. Check it out, dude!

  301. We also... by Tukla · · Score: 1

    ...get to eat the leaves from the higher branches that you can't reach, so nyah!

  302. Humor! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I have to laugh when I read stuff like this; both the articles and the comments. It's a perfect example of a dork mindset of 'input X in, output Y out'.

    Short guys: Take a walk outside to, say, the local mall. Notice how many people shorter than you are holding hands with hot chicks (and by this, I mean truly hot, not Slashdot 'she looks at me! she talks to me!' hot). Take heart.

    Short & tall guys: Having this discussion here is sort of like a guy with pancreatic cancer worrying if he brushes his teeth enough. Virtually all of you have bigger problems and self-deception issues to deal with than worrying about this. Such as being dorks.

    Tall guys who post here snidely with the 'hot girlfriends': Don't be ridiculous. This is like two fat girls going, "We don't have small racks like that cheerleader chick!" It screams that you are playing up your strengths to compensate for your flaws, the prime one being (you guessed it) being a dork.

    1. Re:Humor! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you wrote:
      Short guys: Take a walk outside to, say, the local mall. Notice how many people shorter than you are holding hands with hot chicks (and by this, I mean truly hot, not Slashdot 'she looks at me! she talks to me!' hot). Take heart.

      I write:
      Hmm, people shorter than I with hot chicks. Um, you mean like their children? I think I'm too late for that gig.

  303. Said the 5' tall. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You're short, I presume?

  304. Nice try, dork by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I'm not fat. I'm not dumb. I don't beat people. I don't judge potential dates right of the bat. You do. Cunt-breath!