A great blog by Coyote lead me to Reason Magazine, which has an article about tall people being smarter:
Economists have long been irritated by the weird fact that tall people have better jobs and earn more money. Many explanations have been offered, various forms of social and individual discrimination first among them. But two Princeton economists disagree: "In this paper, we offer a simpler explanation: On average, taller people earn more because they are smarter."
The Abstract of the article says:
It has long been recognized that taller adults hold jobs of higher status and, on average, earn more than other workers. A large number of hypotheses have been put forward to explain the association between height and earnings. In developed countries, researchers have emphasized factors such as self esteem, social dominance, and discrimination. In this paper, we offer a simpler explanation: On average, taller people earn more because they are smarter. As early as age 3 — before schooling has had a chance to play a role — and throughout childhood, taller children perform significantly better on cognitive tests.
It's interesting to think of this in a Freakonomics way. Before reading the abstract, I was sure that this phenomena occurred because in a manner similar to the hockey players discussed in Freakonomics. They call this the relative age theory. So in short, taller kids would be perceived as older and more mature. As a result, they are treated like they are more capable. It follows they get experience quicker and so on, it snow balls. But then the abstract says that it's even as early as age three! Personally, it's hard to believe I treat my 18 month old daughter any different, but the differences are slight and add up over many parents and many children.
Personally, I blame Disney. It's clear that taller kids get to ride ("You must be as tall as Mickey's hand...) on Disney rides earlier than shorter kids. Clearly these rides are accelerating their development. :)
