Sometimes social data are weird & unexpected. Below the fold are two charts which compare the self-reported happiness of people of various weight classes. From left to right: below average, average, above average and considerably above average. Red = very happy, blue = happy and green = not too happy.
- Log in to post comments
More like this
My posts below on IQ, politics & religion resulted in a fair amount of blogospheric response, and weird comments. A few quick points
1) I think results on standardized tests are informative and correlate reasonably with a host of life outcomes. If you don't think they do, that's fine, I don't…
"They only care about themselves," "They're out of touch with reality," "They don't become academics." These are just some of the answers people yelled at me yesterday when I read out loud the title of a paper in the June issue of Psychological Science. My answer was "some of each."
Oh, the paper…
A few days ago I posted a picture depicting the genetic ancestry of African-Americans modelled as a linear combination of European and Nigerian genetic clusters (reproduced below). Dienekes has some thoughtful comments on the same picture.
Meanwhile, Razib comments on a post from Ed Yong…
In my essay on social networks and research of Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler, I describe a few of the striking medical effects produced by social networks:
By studying Framingham as an interconnected network rather than a mass of individuals, Christakis and Fowler made a remarkable discovery…
Santa?
Weight loss due to loss of appetite can be a symptom of clinical depression and may at least partially explain the trend.
this doesn't surprise me-- it's the stereotype of fat people that they're jolly. and stereotypes are usually accurate.
Fat people also tend be less ambitious and more defensive, both of which would contribute to an over-reporting effect for their happiness levels.
Fat people also tend be less ambitious and more defensive
what's your support for these assertions?
Is it any wonder if more fit people are less happy? Starvation diets and draconian exercise regimens are not most people's idea of a pleasant lifestyle.
Rt
Starvation diets and draconian exercise regimens are not most people's idea of a pleasant lifestyle.
i think it is a binary between those two and fatitude.
Anyone got any good explanation for the fact that the somewhat above average males are significantly less happy than both the average and the considerably above average? I don't really have any at the moment, at least.
I posted this at Inductivist's blog, but the sample sizes for the mega-tubbo group are pretty small: 16 for females, 12 for males. A test might still give a significant result, but who knows.
And without that fourth point, a trend is really difficult to discern visually.
> Weight loss due to loss of appetite can be a symptom of clinical depression and may at least partially explain the trend.
On the other hand depression, anxiety, and anhedonia can promote any sort of high-time-preference indulgence, be it food, drugs, whatever. At least, I have seen that claimed for cocaine and alcohol dependency - that there is an excess rate of pre-existing depression vs the population norm.
I find it interesting that the "not too happy" is about the same among all weights for women, but not for men. I would have guessed that women would be more conscious of, and less happy with, a less than ideal weight.
Mr WS has Caesar say this of the "spare" Cassius
"....he loves no plays,
As thou dost, Antony; he hears no music;
Seldom he smiles, and smiles in such a sort
As if he mock'd himself and scorn'd his spirit
That could be moved to smile at any thing.
Such men as he be never at heart's ease
...."
I am FAT and I am damn happy.....