A boy's height in the first 12 months of his life can determine his job prospects and salary, the latest research suggests。

　　A study of more than 4,500 men showed that those who were taller than average by the time they were one year old earned more than their shorter counterparts 50 years later, irrespective of their family background。

　　Growth after the first 12 months seemed to be much less important. A child who was 28in or less in height at the age of one was twice as likely to be doing manual work in adulthood compared to a boy who was more than 31?in in height at the same age。

　　Researchers said babies who grew slowly tended towards levels of academic achievement lower than those who grew quickly. This may be because slow physical growth was accompanied by slow brain development。

　　Another theory is that short babies are not so well-nourished and frequently ill, so missing out on physical activity and sensory stimulation, limiting brain growth。

　　The research is the latest in a series of studies that link height to success. Short boys are said to be more likely to be held back at school than their taller classmates. Taller men are also reported to be more sexually attractive and more likely to father children。

　　However, men prefer shorter women, so the two sexes are unlikely to end up the same height over the course of evolution. The latest research, published today in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, examined 4,630 men born in Helsinki, Finland, between 1934 and 1944.

　　The taller a boy was at the age of one year, the more money he was likely to be earning 50 years later. Earnings increased by 3.5 per cent with every ?in of height。

　　芬兰一项最新研究结果表明，男孩在周岁时的身高可能会影响到其成年后的职业前景和薪水收入。

　　据英国《每日电讯报》2月21日报道，研究人员通过对1934年至1944年在芬兰首都赫尔辛基出生的4630名男子进行跟踪调查后发现，在排除家庭背景的情况下，那些在周岁时身高比同龄人高的男孩，他们在50年后的薪水收入也要高于同龄人。

　　研究显示，周岁时身高低于28英寸的男孩在成年后从事体力劳动的几率是周岁时身高高于31英寸男孩的两倍；周岁前身高发育慢的男孩在取得学术成就方面也不如身高发育快的，这可能缘于体质发育的快慢影响着婴儿大脑的发育。研究人员还认为，身高较低的婴儿通常是营养不良、体质较弱，所以他们缺少体育锻炼和感官活动的刺激，这些都限制了他们大脑的发育。

　　这项研究结果是有关“身高与成功关系”系列研究的最新成果，刊登在芬兰最新一期的《孩童时期疾病档案》杂志上。被调查者在出生后的1年里被进行了8次身高的测量。研究人员把他们的测量数据和这些男子在1990年人口普查时登记的学历、薪水和工作情况联系在一起进行了比较。周岁时身高较高的男孩，50年后的薪水比同龄人要高，且身高每增加1英寸，工资就要高出3.5%。

　　但是，由于男人通常喜欢比他们矮的女人，所以在进化过程中，男性和女性似乎不太可能有着相同的高度。英国南安普敦市综合医院的戴维·巴克教授指出，研究对象不包括在1934年至1944年出生的妇女，因为这些妇女大多没有自己的职业而成为了家庭主妇。 (文/蒋黎黎)