Are You Tall? Then You are More Intelligent

Edinburgh University scientists have claimed that people shorter than the average height are more likely to be less intelligent than their taller counterparts. In a joint study with Aberdeen University and University College London, the findings analysed data of people over a five-year period. Tests that measured linguistic ability, reaction times and power of recall were used as parameters to determine intelligence.

Riccardo Marioni from Edinburgh University’s Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine said, “What we found was a small association between height and intelligence such that people who are taller tend to be smarter.”

A research in 2006 at Princeton University, US, had revealed that even at the age of three, taller children fared better in mental tests.

Academics identified genes that influence both height and IQ. The study also said that 70 per cent of association between height and IQ was due to genetics and the remaining 30 per cent was related to environmental factors.

The study, which analysed 6,800 unrelated people, was the first of its kind that explored whether genetics may decide about other health outcomes. Recently, an Oxford University study had said that short people might have low self-esteem.

Thus, it said that people who are genetically and developmentally healthier are taller and more intelligent than those who are less healthy.

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Source-Medindia