Damn you, tall people. They block your view at the movie theater. They're a pain to shop for: Who really wants to drag themselves to the Big & Tall to buy Uncle Lurch a pair of extra-long pants? They're the ones with better chances of becoming pro basketball players, or supermodels.

    Squirts probably don't need any more reasons to envy their longer-limbed neighbors. Unfortunately, a new study just added to the indignity of short people. According to a paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research, both men and women who are above average height - 5 ft. 10 in. for males, 5 ft. 4 in. for females - report higher levels of happiness than smaller people. （See 10 perfect jobs for the recession - and after.）

    In the study, men who call their lives the "worst possible" are nearly an inch shorter than the average man. The women most down in the dumps are half an inch smaller, on average, than the average woman. Taller people say they are more content, and are less likely to report a range of negative emotions like sadness and physical pain. "Happiness is just one more thing that taller people have going for them," says Angus Deaton, a Princeton economist and co-author of the study, who stands a smug 6 ft. 4 in. （Full disclosure: I, too, am about 6 ft. 4 in., but I will refrain from mocking shrimps in this story.）

    Why are tall people happier? According to Deaton's analysis, the result is linked to education and income. The study found that taller people tend to have more education, and thus higher income levels, than shorter people. It follows that the smarter, richer tall people would be sunnier than their vertically challenged compatriots. "Money buys enjoyment and higher life evaluation," says Deaton. "It buys off stress, anger, worry and pain. Income is the thing!"

    To gain some real-world insight into these stats, I called the first smart short person I could think of, a friend named Milton Lee. Despite what these studies indicate, smart short people do exist. Milt, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, made a killing as a Wall Street trader in the 1990s, but quit finance to chase his dream of becoming a basketball coach. He has trained many NBA players, including this year's top draft pick, Oklahoma's Blake Griffin, and even landed an assistant coaching gig for the Los Angeles Clippers' summer-league team.

    Despite giving up an healthy Wall Street income, Lee, who claims he's 5 ft. 9 in. but admits to being 5 ft. 8 in. when pressed, considers himself content. "I'm not totally buying it," he says of the study. "I'm below average height, and have above-average happiness." In his basketball work, Lee spends a lot of time around well-compensated human trees, and doesn't always see smiling faces. "There are plenty of NBA players who are absolutely miserable," Lee says. "They want more playing time, they feel underappreciated. Only a dozen or so guys feel that they are truly loved." （Watch TIME's vide "A Free Lesson with Kobe Bryant."）

    In his Wall Street days, Lee saw plenty of rich, happy short people and wealthy, depressed tall people. He does offer one reason why taller men might be happier. "Whenever I'm out with tall guys, they tend to get more attention from women," says Lee. "You never hear girls say, 'Hey, I'm really into short guys.'"

    Lee directed me to one of the players he coaches, Coleman Collins, for the smart, tall guy's perspective. When I told him Lee questioned the findings, Collins, who is 6 ft. 9 in., wasn't surprised. "Short people are always ready to disagree," says Collins, who graduated from Virginia Tech when he was 19, after just three years, and played for the school's basketball team. He points out that he has many short friends. "Generally speaking, I've found that they are more likely to have a chip on their shoulder, more likely to have something to prove," Collins says. （See 10 ways Twitter will change American business.）

    Collins, now 23, supports the study's results. "I'm generally in a good mood," he says. "And based on the anecdotal evidence I've seen, tall people have a more pleasant disposition and are more easygoing. They don't have to make an extra effort to command attention. When they walk into a room, it tends to come naturally to them." Such recognition surely helps your self-esteem. If only it wasn't too late for you short people to have a growth spurt.

    该死的高个子，总在电影院看电影的时候挡住你的视线。虽然对他们来说买衣服是件头疼的事情--谁愿意特地跑到the Big&Tall买一条Uncle Lurch的特大号裤子呢？但他们却更有机会成为职业篮球选手或者模特。

    小个子也许已经有足够的理由嫉妒他们的高个子邻居。然而不幸的是，一份来自国家经济研究局的报告表明比平均身高--以男性5 英尺10 英寸（约1.77m）,女性5 英尺4 英寸（约1.62m）为衡量标准--高的人，无论男女，比相对较矮的人更易感到快乐。这一结论无疑是火上浇油。（See 10 perfect jobs for the recession - and after.）

    研究显示，认为生活过得很糟糕的男性基本上比平均身高矮一英寸（约2.54cm）,同样，总是感到沮丧的女性则矮了半英寸。而高个子的人似乎更容易心满意足，不常流露出消极的情绪，感到悲伤或者身体上的伤痛。"快乐就像是高个子的额外优势。"来自普林斯顿的经济学家、这项研究的合作人员安格斯·迪顿说道。安格斯·迪顿拥有令人羡慕的身高，有6英尺4英寸（约1.92m）（顺便透露下，我本人也大概有6英尺4,但我会克制自己不去嘲笑这篇文中提到的小个子的）.

    那么，为什么长得高的人会更快乐呢？根据迪顿的分析，这个结果跟教育与收入有关。研究发现长得高的人往往比长得矮的人受到更多的教育，因而收入也较高。由此可知，聪明有钱的高个子比他们的同辈更快乐。"钱可以换来快乐与长寿，"迪顿说道，"可以消除压力，不满，担忧与痛苦。收入高低很重要！"

    现在让我们贴合现实来深入分析下这些数据的真实性。尽管这项研究显示长得高的人聪明，但现实生活中显然存在着聪明但长得矮的人。我就有个朋友叫米尔顿·李，他长得不高却很聪明，毕业于宾夕法尼亚大学。19世纪90年代米尔顿曾在华尔街工作，并获得成功，赚了一大笔钱。但后来，为了追求自己的理想，他退出了金融业，转而当起了篮球教练。到现在，米尔顿培训过许多NBA球员，包括本年度的选秀状元布雷克·格里芬，甚至还成为了洛杉矶快艇队夏季联赛的助教。

    尽管失去了在华尔街的稳定收入，李，原先自称身高5英尺9英寸（约合1米75）--后来承认其实是5英尺8英寸（约合1米74）,当被问到是否快乐时，他表示对现状感到满意。"我才不相信这一套，"他对于该项调查结果如是说道，"我比常人矮，但却比常人快乐。"作为一个篮球教练，李平日里常跟这些高收入的 "巨人"打交道，但是很少看到他们开心得笑。"有很多NBA球员过着相当凄惨的生活，"李透露，"他们想要更多的薪水，总觉得自己不被赏识。只有少数人觉得自己是深受爱戴的。"（Watch TIME's vide "A Free Lesson with Kobe Bryant."）

    而且当李还在华尔街工作的时候，他也见过很多快乐但长得矮的有钱人和整天闷闷不乐却长得高的有钱人。不过，他倒是说出一个高个子也许更快乐的原因。"每当我跟长得高的人一起出去的时候，高个的人更能吸引女人的注意力，"李解释道，"你不会听到哪个女人说，'嗨，我就是更喜欢矮个子。'"

    李把一名他手下的球员介绍给我。科尔曼·科林斯可以说是属于又高又聪明的那一类。当我告诉他李不认同这个研究结果时，身高6英尺9英寸（约合2.04m）的科林斯一点都不感到惊讶，对此他表示："长得矮的人总喜欢提出异议。"科尔曼19岁就从弗吉尼亚理工大学毕业，三年后便在学校篮球队打球，他说他有不少长得矮的朋友，"通常来说，他们更容易自卑，总是想着要去证明什么。" （See 10 ways Twitter will change American business.）

    科林斯，现今23岁，支持该研究结果，"我基本上都心情愉悦，"他说，"而且根据我平日里的所见所闻，高个子的人一般性情温和，更容易相处。他们不需要格外的关注，因为当他们走进房间时，人们的视线会自然而然地被吸引过来。"要是长得矮的人能一下子长高的话，这种说法也许有助于加深个人的自我认识。