Why are people in universities taller?

[Tibertus]

So, I wanna hear some responses from you, but I've found people who attend universities tend to be a few inches above the average. For instance, average height of women at my university is four inches over that of the state, and men range around two inches taller than the state average. I've heard the argument before that people tend to associate height with intelligence, so tall people will be pushed and given the resources more often to complete a post secondary education.

 

[Taimat396]

I'm as tall as Gunrunner and am not the shortest in my class.

Stereotypes = busted :3

 

[Tibertus]

I'm not saying all people in universities are taller, I'm saying that the average is taller than the average found in the society that encompasses the university. Also, how tall are you two?

 

[Danath]

Usually the new generations are taller than their predecesors (AFAIK height keeps increasing slowly in the majority of developed countries) and universities are places where the last full grown generation can be found in great numbers.

 

[Seff]

Also, how tall are you two?

Like 5'6" or so, IIRC. They're quite small. No offense.

 

[G36E]

Not sure, but given your constraints, my hypothesis is that people who go to uni tend to come from more well off families and tend to be better fed. This allows them to grow taller since they have the appropriate nutrition during puberty.

Also, how tall are you two?

Like 5'6" or so, IIRC. They're quite small. No offense.

Wait what? I'm taller than you?

 

[Taimat396]

About that, yeah.

Usually the new generations are taller than their predecesors (AFAIK height keeps increasing slowly in the majority of developed countries) and universities are places where the last full grown generation can be found in great numbers.

Odd, it's been brought up a few times by various people (people who I shared lessons with) since we were in year 10 or so that people're getting smaller. As in, the year 11s when we were starting secondary school were a lot bigger than us, and the ones there now are smaller still (On average). Seems to hold true now, too - the tall ones in the class are all a few years older than us. Everyone who finisheed college last year is pretty damn small. Think one guy is over six foot.


AK: Not Seff, me.

 

[Tibertus]

Usually the new generations are taller than their predecesors (AFAIK height keeps increasing slowly in the majority of developed countries) and universities are places where the last full grown generation can be found in great numbers.

Yeah, but we're talking about several inches, not a slight increase over time. There isn't going to be such a gap between two generations of several inches.

Not sure, but given your constraints, my hypothesis is that people who go to uni tend to come from more well off families and tend to be better fed. This allows them to grow taller since they have the appropriate nutrition during puberty.

Again, people who are better fed are statistically taller, but it's not such a large difference as several inches.

Edit: Also, within the US, there really isn't a huge difference in diet between the rich and poor populations.

It's probably not any one of these things but more likely a combination.

 

[Aethelbert]

Maybe I come from a rough area but people also tend to  be better looking. than myself I guess damn.........

 

[G36E]

Not sure, but given your constraints, my hypothesis is that people who go to uni tend to come from more well off families and tend to be better fed. This allows them to grow taller since they have the appropriate nutrition during puberty.

Again, people who are better fed are statistically taller, but it's not such a large difference as several inches.

Edit: Also, within the US, there really isn't a huge difference in diet between the rich and poor populations.

Is your university one famed for it's basketball/(other sports where height plays an important role) teams? The sports scholarships might give cause for taller people to go to uni there.

 

[Seff]

AK: Yeah, that was my reaction as well.

 

[G36E]

AK: Yeah, that was my reaction as well.

But I'm Chinese, I'm supposed to be tiny compared to you lot...

 

[Tibertus]

Is your university one famed for it's basketball/(other sports where height plays an important role) teams? The sports scholarships might give cause for taller people to go to uni there.

Our football team was the country's worse for the last two years. We have a decent basketball team, but considering that only 13 students may receive scholarships to be on the basketball team, in a university which has 12,000, I don't really see that as relevant.

 

[Swadius 2.0]

Maybe it has something to do with the correlation between physical intelligence and mental intelligence.

 

[G36E]

Our football team was the country's worse for the last two years. We have a decent basketball team, but considering that only 13 students may receive scholarships to be on the basketball team, in a university which has 12,000, I don't really see that as relevant.

Hmmm... Does your quoted state average take into account the old people who have shrunk in height and the younger kids who have yet to finish puberty?

 

[Tibertus]

I think it was between 20 and 40, but I'll need to check again.

Edit: Age group 20-39

Edit II:

Are there many malnourished people there? Maybe its because u've all had relatively optimal childhoods?

This is the US, we don't really have a malnourishment problem.

Edit III:

Maybe it has something to do with the correlation between physical intelligence and mental intelligence.

Never heard those terms before. What do you mean?

 

[FrisianDude]

Their brains get more oxygen due to length.

 

[Lord Brutus]

Good God, this is so easy. Universities choose them that way, guaranteeing every student can reach the top shelves in the library.

 

[Swadius 2.0]

Maybe it has something to do with the correlation between physical intelligence and mental intelligence.

Never heard those terms before. What do you mean?

I think I heard about it in highschool about there being separate types of intelligences, like analytical intelligence, abstractive intelligence, creative intelligence, and physical intelligence. Physical intelligence IIRC is simply the measurement of how well a person knows how to manipulate their own body, Spatial sense and kinetic sense and generally how their own bodies fit into these categories.
I haven't looked it up after hearing and reading about it though. So it's quite possible that this is pseudoscience.

 

[Bulle]

For some reason there has been extensive research about this in Sweden. The conclusion over here was that shorter people usually have lower self esteem then taller people, and thus do not seek higher education due to the lack of self esteem.