Stereotyping the “jocks” from the “nerds,” people tend to believe that intelligent people are more physically frail than others. Being strong or intelligent is not an “either or” phenomenon. Anyone can choose to become smarter and stronger with effort. This myth comes from a common trend seen in society where many famously intelligent people tend to have a smaller physique and some well-known athletes having a lower IQ. However, there are many factors that play into this assumption. Pop culture is to blame for a lot of how people perceive the world around them. From television shows in the past such as Family Matters where a scrawny, intelligent boy is picked on for being a nerd, to movies today such as Diary of a Wimpy Kid, it is evident
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Now, many people assume that athletes are stupid, and the little underdog is always intelligent. However, there are not just these two options, but millions of combinations between one’s physique and their artistic, athletic or intellectual talents. Christine Quail discusses how society has become a “hegemonic identity construction and commercial culture obsessed with a masculinity” forcing people to think in these stereotypes (Quail 479). Pop culture has made people think that to be masculine one must be strong and athletic, never putting much emphasis on one’s intellect as if intelligence is less important than one’s physique. In her article “Sexism and Misogyny in American Hip-Hop Culture,” Jane Larsen shares the ways that pop culture influences people’s thoughts. Larsen explains that people obtain “influences mainly from television, music, and the movies” (Larsen 11). In her study, Larsen found that the stereotypes that pop culture uses attempts to define people in a certain category that is thought to be true, so that people accept their place in society (Larsen 83). People often think that if they are not smart they must be good at sports, and then if they are not good at sports, then they must be smart. Believing in these ideas holds people back in exploring more about …show more content…
Through different studies about one’s physical features in relation to one’s intelligence, many researchers have found no correlation. In a study by Paterson, the “following measures of physique: height and weight, cranial measurements, anatomical age, complex morphological indices, and physical condition” were all found to have no relation with one’s intelligence (Paterson 1). This study shows that the physical features one is born with does not affect their intelligence. A group of researchers also worked together to find a relationship between children’s heights and their IQ’s. Using a wide range of children across the US from ages 6 to 17, these researchers were able to compare the heights to the corresponding child’s intelligence as tested by the “Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children” (Wilson et al. 1). After comparing the data, these researchers found “no significant association” that height and IQ scores have a relationship (Wilson et al 1). In contrast, not only have researchers found no correlation with a person’s physique and their intelligence, but researchers have found evidence that when students are physically active, they perform better in school. Roy J. Shephard designed an experiment to observe a relationship between students’ intelligence and physical activity (Shephard S32). After reviewing his results, Shephard
Now, many people assume that athletes are stupid, and the little underdog is always intelligent. However, there are not just these two options, but millions of combinations between one’s physique and their artistic, athletic or intellectual talents. Christine Quail discusses how society has become a “hegemonic identity construction and commercial culture obsessed with a masculinity” forcing people to think in these stereotypes (Quail 479). Pop culture has made people think that to be masculine one must be strong and athletic, never putting much emphasis on one’s intellect as if intelligence is less important than one’s physique. In her article “Sexism and Misogyny in American Hip-Hop Culture,” Jane Larsen shares the ways that pop culture influences people’s thoughts. Larsen explains that people obtain “influences mainly from television, music, and the movies” (Larsen 11). In her study, Larsen found that the stereotypes that pop culture uses attempts to define people in a certain category that is thought to be true, so that people accept their place in society (Larsen 83). People often think that if they are not smart they must be good at sports, and then if they are not good at sports, then they must be smart. Believing in these ideas holds people back in exploring more about …show more content…
Through different studies about one’s physical features in relation to one’s intelligence, many researchers have found no correlation. In a study by Paterson, the “following measures of physique: height and weight, cranial measurements, anatomical age, complex morphological indices, and physical condition” were all found to have no relation with one’s intelligence (Paterson 1). This study shows that the physical features one is born with does not affect their intelligence. A group of researchers also worked together to find a relationship between children’s heights and their IQ’s. Using a wide range of children across the US from ages 6 to 17, these researchers were able to compare the heights to the corresponding child’s intelligence as tested by the “Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children” (Wilson et al. 1). After comparing the data, these researchers found “no significant association” that height and IQ scores have a relationship (Wilson et al 1). In contrast, not only have researchers found no correlation with a person’s physique and their intelligence, but researchers have found evidence that when students are physically active, they perform better in school. Roy J. Shephard designed an experiment to observe a relationship between students’ intelligence and physical activity (Shephard S32). After reviewing his results, Shephard