4 ms·
their height data makes me wonder about their conclusion. if the average height data includes all ages, i think the differential could be more readily explaine
by noodle 16y ago
their height data makes me wonder about their conclusion. if the average height data includes all ages, i think the differential could be more readily explained by the fact that okcupid tends to skew much younger than the average population sample, and young people are simply growing taller now on average due to a higher quality average standard of living.
- btilly 16y agoYour theory doesn't explain the sudden jerk around 6'. Your theory doesn't explain why women self-report as shorter than the overall population. And also, anecdotally, I've known women to complain about men lying about their height on online dating sites. If it is common enough for women to complain, then it should show up in their statistics.
- noodle 16y agoi have no doubt that lying does happen. i also have no doubt that i have no data to back up my theory. but it seems somewhat unlikely that lying about your height is so uniformly prevalent that it affects the curves as uniformly as it does. also, the article doesn't say that women self-report shorter. they also self-report taller. almost exactly the same as men. which again makes me feel like its just a growth thing. just throwing out an alternative theory, though. i could be wrong, of course. i'd just rather see the data pulled out better -- self-reported height by age, vs national average by age.