Do a Push-Up, Go to Jail

Lloyd Garver | Bio

After
reading this, you should never step out of the shower, look at yourself
in the mirror, and be disappointed by what you see. If somebody teases
you about not being in great physical shape, I’ve got something you can
tell them. And the next time you’re with someone whose eyes drift over
to look at a person with a “perfect” body, you can just smile about
what you know and what they don’t. Researchers at the University of
Arkansas have determined that those people with the best bodies aren’t
necessarily the best people.

This study that appears in The Social Science Journal, found that
most people who entered prison were physically, even athletically, fit.
Between 62 and 73% of the prison population was made up of hard-body
athletic types. And those who were physically fit were the most likely
to be imprisoned for violent crimes.

So, if you are bemoaning that the person you are with doesn’t look
like a swimsuit model, cut it out. At least he or she isn’t as likely
to knock over a bank as that neighbor of yours who works out every day
and only eats low-fat yogurt.

I understand that the study only involves 5,000 Arkansas inmates, so
it would be unwise for scientists to generalize from this. That’s one
of the beauties of not being a scientist–I can generalize if I want to.

The results of this study should be taught in every school in the
land. We’ve been told over and over again how dangerous it is for
people–especially children–to try to model themselves after the few
individuals who have almost perfect bodies. Now, because of this study,
kids and grownups don’t have to see those with centerfold physiques as
role models. They can view them as people who might be more likely to
mug a 90-year-old World War II veteran than those of us who are a
little too thin or a little too heavy.

I’ve always been suspicious of people who have really good bodies.
Anyone who devotes that much time to looking good isn’t spending enough
time doing other things. If some other researchers did another survey,
don’t you think they’d find that those who have “six-pack” abs don’t do
as much volunteer work as those of us with “no-packs?” How many
valedictorians are at their ideal weight? Can you name one Nobel Prize
winner who was also known for having perfect calves? I rest my case.

This study is a triumph for every person who doesn’t have a gym
membership, for anyone who ever took an extra piece of cake instead of
an extra lap around the track, and for all the men and women whose
exercise bikes long ago became a convenient place to hang their
clothes. This study isn’t only saying that the rest of us are as good
as those who have muscles in places where we just have places. It’s
saying that we might be better than they are–or at least less violent.

Instead of going for the chiseled or the silicone look, maybe this
will encourage men and women to start choosing a mate or a date with
bony knees or a double chin. Perhaps employers will start recruiting
people whose waists enter the room before their faces. In fact, I’m
really looking forward to the headline someday that will proclaim the
large number of people who are suing companies for not hiring them
because they’re too good looking.

Obviously, more research is necessary. (And if I know our
government, it will probably be spending billions on it before you can
say, “bridge to nowhere.”) We have to find out if there is a causal
relationship between the number of sit-ups people can do and whether or
not they end up wearing a number. Or is it just a coincidence that
those with hard muscles are the ones doing hard time? After all, there
is another explanation for all this: Maybe those who are out of shape
are just too lazy to get out there and commit crimes.

Lloyd Garver can be reached at lloydgarver@gmail.com. Check out his website at lloydgarver.com and listen to his podcasts at iTunes.