According to Richard Posner, a judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago, the answer is YES...

Quote :

"Obesity is highly correlated with education. Highly educated people are much more likely to be thin than people who are not highly educated. This is partly...because highly educated people have on average higher incomes than other people. [B]ut income is not a complete explanation...intelligent people derive greater benefits from education in terms of present enjoyment and future income than unintelligent people do, and intelligence implies lower costs of foreseeing consequences of one's actions: it is easier for an intelligent person to realize the consequences of indulging one's tastes for fatty foods than an unintelligent person, given that obesity is not an immediate consequence of eating such foods."

http://www.becker-posner-blog.com/archives/2009/08/health_reform_a.html

Where the fuck is the peer reviewed research to support this fucking claim? Amateur sociology pisses me the fuck off. Does anyone else believe this nonsense?


[Edited on August 3, 2009 at 9:16 AM. Reason : ``]

8/3/2009 9:08:09 AM

PS* A more accurate description of Posner's argument would be that "the less intelligent are more likely to be obese" and not that being obese makes you less intelligent (which some folks may take my titl. But that distinction doesn't make me anymore comfortable with the political implications of Posner's post, which is that government programs could be set up to "help out" the poor idiots that are not smart enough to eat their greens and jog everyday like Posner does. Posner, of course, pays lip service to avoiding second guessing people's judgement, but then says that it is an "uncontroversial" function of government to control external costs (and the point of the post is that obesity results in hefty external costs).

Plus, I think, this argument would still support a disgustingly elitist stereotype. If you see an obese person, they are probably less intelligent than a thinner person (other things being equal). For example, if you saw a fat professor and a skinny professor, they are both surely smarter than the average population, but the skinny professor is probably somehow smarter than the fat professor. At least that's how I read it. And I think that's some bullshit.

[Edited on August 3, 2009 at 9:32 AM. Reason : ``]

8/3/2009 9:16:53 AM

I can also see a causation or at least strong causation where those who are lazier stopping at the Drive thru of McD's, not going for a run,
taking the elevator instead of the stairs; will more likely to be obese. These attitude or personality traits beyond causing obesity
could also perpetuate into other areas of one's life including education and career achievement. Of course you could say that lack
of education can make one suceptable to unhealthful life decisions or decrease motivation (enforcing laziness) to take part in lifestyle
choices taht would make them thinner.

They are all related and can be reverse causal.

The issue is complex and can not be summed up with one theory.

Poor people are fatter and not any rich people are obese.

[Edited on August 3, 2009 at 9:28 AM. Reason : aa]

8/3/2009 9:27:03 AM

You can look around and see enough fat "intelligent" people and enough skinny dumb people to know this makes no sense.

8/3/2009 9:30:47 AM

^ that is exactly what i am saying though. There is no 1.0 direct correlation. People who have money have extra money to spend on food and can
just as easily be fat. On the other hand someone poor and unemployed may have more time to cook healthy meals (using their food stamps)
and can go exercise (run down the street) than someone working to much to have time for the gym.

I still think its fair to say that those of lesser intelligence who likely are poorer will also more likely be obese. The author merely
gets the correlation backwards. Being obese does not make one dumber. Dumber people though are more likely to make financially poor decisions
and poor health/food decisions.

[Edited on August 3, 2009 at 9:59 AM. Reason : a]

8/3/2009 9:59:05 AM

If fat people are more likely to be stupid, then chances are that America is a nation of imbeciles.

8/3/2009 10:04:46 AM

i don't know about "intelligence" (that's such a politically loaded word) ... but i think it is fairly apparent that wealthier people tend to be in better physical shape than those in lower socioeconomic classes.

just look around you.

most of the fat disgusting slobs tend to be poor unskilled or semiskilled workers or lower middle class clerical workers, and the more economically well off professionals tend to be trim, or at least in moderately decent shape.

8/3/2009 10:55:06 AM

I think the difference is in the ability to learn like an IQ, which has no correlation with being fat or skinny, and the application of that intelligence in education through discipline, which probably does have some correlation with being skinny.

I don't think it's a secret that those who discipline themselves to use their intelligence to get an education or otherwise achieve financially are more likely to be disciplined in other areas of their life, like fitness and food intake.

8/3/2009 11:02:16 AM

I'd like to hear more about this... Some actual evidence would be nice.

But...

Quote :

"If you see an obese person, they are probably less intelligent than a thinner person (other things being equal)."

I've always hypothesized this anyway...

8/3/2009 11:11:16 AM

Quote :

"If fat people are more likely to be stupid, then chances are that America is a nation of imbeciles. "

Ding Ding Ding!

We found ourselves a winner.

^^well stated

[Edited on August 3, 2009 at 11:38 AM. Reason : as]

8/3/2009 11:13:11 AM

ive been to florida.

skinny idiots everywhere

8/3/2009 12:02:27 PM

Quote :

"most of the fat disgusting slobs tend to be poor unskilled or semiskilled workers or lower middle class clerical workers, and the more economically well off professionals tend to be trim, or at least in moderately decent shape."

Umm, no. In my experience, the fattest are often the people who value their professional progress above other elements of maintaining a healthy and enjoyable life.

Besides, we got lots of fat professors.

The ability to purchase a gym membership is only a marginal asset in the war against fat. Just about anyone can get a pair of jogging shoes or go play some hoops. I have to say, we're all on the same starting line in this race.

There are snobby sports and non-snobby sports. And golf sucks. This entire nation needs some good elbow grease!

8/3/2009 12:20:33 PM

I just have to wander down to Wrightsville beach to see families of slobby working class overweight tourists aimlessly waddling to the shore, egressing wings, or packing the family in the minivan to hit up McD's on Eastwood.

8/3/2009 12:35:18 PM

I was at the beach over the weekend and all of the fat kids were on the beach with their fat parents.

8/3/2009 12:41:16 PM

seattle has a lot of tourists, and the tourists tend to be fat. within the city, if you see a fat person, the smart money will bet they are either

(1) a tourist

(2) from the suburbs (lower rent, working class)



the only problem is that #2 tends to act like #1, so it's hard to tell those two groups apart.

8/3/2009 1:08:41 PM

Quote :

"Amateur sociology pisses me the fuck off."

unfortunately, amateur sociology and ridiculous stereotypes are all that is occurring in this thread.

with that being said, the brain is the highest energy consuming organ in the body. maybe people who are actively thinking all day long are burning more calories? I doubt it works that simply, as the research trying to relate obesity to intelligence is few and far between.

8/3/2009 1:43:34 PM

^ interesting theory. I'd be interested in seeing someone do work on that.

Quote :

"Umm, no. In my experience, the fattest are often the people who value their professional progress above other elements of maintaining a healthy and enjoyable life."

Does not follow. DC is full of ultra-driven uber-professionals who still manage to stay in shape. The most obese states are generally also the poorest. While I agree that there are many who place their career above their health, I don't think that this is a strong correlation to back up this assumption.

I would think that personality is a better measure.

8/3/2009 2:10:06 PM

Is the original poster overweight?

I'm gonna guess, yes.

8/3/2009 3:12:36 PM

So the majority of CSC guys would be the outlier right? Plenty of highly intelligent, educated, and fat programmers.

8/3/2009 6:10:03 PM

Lots a book smart but little street smart?

8/3/2009 10:32:29 PM

I have absolutely nothing to back this up except my own personal experience, but I definitely think I'm sharper now that I have a somewhat healthy lifestyle. I weigh a lot less, I exercise a lot, and I'm getting all the nutrients I need. I don't know if any of those things would result in improved brain function.

My short-term memory isn't so good though.

8/4/2009 1:26:48 PM