Glasses & Intelligence.

Recently, I found my glasses! I go through spurts of wearing my glasses. Every time I do wear my glasses, after not having worn them, I remember how much better I can see with them. Its crazy, to think that I don't make a point to wear them everyday. I wear them, take them off somewhere and forget to put them back on, then I forget about them for a week, a few weeks or even a month. It is a habit I have had since I was little girl. It use to drive my parents crazy. They bought me glasses, probably when they couldn't afford to and yet I'd leave them somewhere or forget to wear them. Luckily, I think it is safe to say that I have only lost 1 pair of actual glasses my entire life and that was during a move.

I found my glasses the other day and am trying to remember to wear them at all times. Well not all times, like I don't need them to read or to be on the computer...but for everything else it certainly does help. When I got these particular frames a few years ago, I wore them religiously. Occasionally, someone would comment on them, but not often. Now, whenever I wear them someone (usually always a different person) comments about how smart or intelligent I look with the glasses on. I politely thank them, as I don't want to be rude. I would really like to ask them, do I look like an idiot when I don't have my glasses on?

I began to think about it, and there are in fact people that I think look more intelligent with glasses on. I wondered if that was instilled in me from the time I was a young lad or if it something that I came across during my adolescents or if I am the only person that thinks that way. I started asking people at work, if people that wear glasses look more intelligent when they have the glasses on as appose to when they don't have the glasses on. I asked 13 people today, and 11 out of 13 said, "yes, you look smarter with your glasses on." I tried to explain that we weren't talking about me, but that was a lost cause because the conversation always came back to the fact that I was wearing glasses. I began to think, that my results were screwy because I did actually have my glasses on when I asked the question? Either way, 11 people agree that I look better with glasses.

When I got home, I asked Swallow the same question "do people look more intelligent when they wear glasses?" Keep in mind, I had already taken my glasses off. She responded with "well, you look smarter when you wear your glasses." I about burst out laughing! What is about glasses that help people actually see, make one believe they are smarter or at least look smarter? I did find an article on MSNBC about kids and glasses. Basically, Jeffrey Walline a professor from Ohio State University did a study with 42 females and 38 males from the ages of 6 to 10. He found that 57% of children thought that the people that wore glasses did in look smarter! The study is published in the May issue of the journal Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics. I am pretty entertained that this issue seems to grabbing my attention now, yet the study I tracked down was just published. :)

I guess, I'll continue to wear my glasses. I wouldn't want anyone to think I was stupid, since I didn't have them on. That and I can actually see better with them on...go figure!