Why am I the short fat one? | Hacker News Reader

Why am I the short fat one?

news.bbc.co.uk

23 pointsalexandros9 comments

You lose about 1/2 inch of body height throughout the day through vertebrae compression. Their height difference could simply be down to him being in the US for a long period of time, I know having been to the US and currently living in Canada that any trip back to the UK means major sleep problems, I'm up either majorly late or direly early. Could it simply be that he gets up far earlier than his brother (British culture is notably more 9-5 than NA culture, where 7-3 is highly noticeable, at least here in Ontario)? Would the increase weight mean faster compression of his vertebrae or even excess compression compared to his twin?

Not to mention posture and everything else, including flat-footedness (which IIRC can attribute a decrease of about 1/2 inch in height due to a posture shift), which again could have been induced by excess weight. Both twins could be genetically prone to flat feet, but the shorter one simply gained weight and increase the strain leading to a collapse earlier in life.

Perhaps this is DNA methylation, but I'd bet anything that a mixture of diet, exercise and physical health are greater contributing factors to divergent physical characteristics in identical twins. I mean one simply taking a disliking to milk through childhood, or getting repeatedly put in detention could have a large enough effect over time to decrease physical height by less than an inch.

I'm not sure I understand your first paragraph; are you suggesting North Americans are in general -- (a) awake longer; or (b) on-their-feet more -- than UK residents?

(And aren't 'sleep problems' on trips back to GMT sufficiently explained by jetlag?)

> "It is that I wonder how many other things I am missing out on. "

he could equally wonder all the things he has going for him, or rather that his brother missed out on. i understand the impulse to believe criticism over compliments, especially from oneself, but a little more thought should dispell silly impulses. i expect more from thoughtful blog posts.

(i have a non-identical twin. i feel lucky and thankful--twins are the best!!)

Less fluff more facts: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_methylation

I felt that article and the video were a bit fluffy too. That ice test was hardly scientific. I imagine competitive nature may play more of a role than pain tolerance - at least that would be the case for me.

I guess if you are constantly wondering why you are a tiny bit shorter than your brother, then you should get a hobby or a doctor. Logical or, there.

What definition of 'short' is 183CM?

There are some regions with average male height up to 190 cm.

"In the late nineteenth century, the Netherlands was a land renowned for its short population, but today it has the second tallest average in the world, with young men averaging 183 cm (6'0 ft) tall and in Europe are only shorter than the peoples of the Dinaric Alps (a section largely within the former Yugoslavia), where males average 185.6 cm (6 ft 1.1 in) tall. The Dinarians and Dutch are now well known in Europe for extreme tallness. In Africa, the Maasai, Dinka and Tutsi populations are known for their tallness, with some reports indicating an average male height of up to 190 cm (almost 6 ft 3)."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_height

Author's surname suggest Dutch origin.

So A/B testing has proved that the US is inferior to the UK in these two ways?

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