It started when my sister, who is 3 years younger than I am, brought home her prescription glasses. I was about 15 and thought it was cool. Kids are like that. They think strange things are cool. From time to time, I would steal her glasses and try them on. I was shocked to discover that the TV looked different, and that the whole world looked clearer.
When I was 16, I brought home my first prescription glasses. I was very happy. For a long time, I checked what the world looked like with and without my glasses, and I was a bit disappointed that the optometrist had told me to wear them only when I needed to watch TV, movies or to sit far away from the board in class.
Surprise, surprise, once I had my glasses, I got to be one of the top kids in my class in 11th Grade, after having been kicked out of school in 10th Grade for having failed too many subject. It was as if the glasses had helped me to see my homework better.
I did not think too much of the glasses until, at the age of 20, I went to work at a filter factory. It was the most boring job ever. We would sit at a table, a group of 20 girls, and glue filters. To make it less boring, they would change what we did every hour. During those weeks, I looked at every filter and imagined in what creative ways I could use them. I felt a bit different to most of the girls around me. I had just finished my military service and all the other girls had not. I had an advantage, but I still felt different. There were not many topics I felt we could talk about. Some of the girls were mothers already and talked about their husbands and kids, but they were mostly quiet. I guess repeating the same thing for 8 hours every day numbs the brain.
One day, we sat in the cafeteria for lunch and one of the confident girls said to me:
“You are not like us.”
“What do you mean?”, I asked her.
She looked at all the other girls and asked them, “She is different, isn’t she?”
“You look smarter than us,” one of the other girls said. I thought they had said that because they knew that I had graduated from high school and they had not.
“Why do you think I am smarter than you?”, I asked, and there was quiet. Then one of them said, “Because of your glasses.”
They all looked at each other as if they were happy they had figured something out. The glasses! Yes, that was another thing that made us different. I was the only person with glasses in the whole place.
“What about the glasses?”, I asked, very surprised.
“People with glasses are smarter”, they declared.
For years after this, I thought about what the girls had said. It did not matter if it was right or not. The only thing that mattered was that people actually believed that glasses make you smarter, and let me tell you, people still think that.
At the age of 20, after working with the girls for a week, I did not think glasses were cool. I did all that I could to buy contact lenses. It was not easy, because they were expensive, it was a pain to wear them, and it was not very healthy, but still, I tried very hard. I was very happy with my contacts and was willing to put in the effort every morning to put them on (I do not know about you, but for me it was a 15-minute ritual). Then, I for my Special Education studies and was invited for an assessment day. I looked at the agenda for the day and freaked out. We had over 4 hours of written tests and about 4 hours of character testing, all done in a group of 30 people. In the morning, I got up early for my daily ritual of burning eyes and tears, and then I remembered the girls from the filter factory saying, “Smart people wear glasses”.
“But I want to look my best”, I thought.
“No way, glasses are not cool.”
“I am not going with glasses. No one can see my make-up when I have my glasses on. Besides, I have not worn them for such a long time, they look awful on me, and maybe only girls working in a factory think like that.”
I was talking to myself like this for a while. However, after everything I said to myself, I still heard their words in my head, “Smart people wear glasses…”
Later that day, feeling like the most uncool girl ever, I entered the big hall. There were hundreds of people there, registering for their assessments. I went to the Special Education section and looked around. Most of the group was made up of girls. They all looked beautiful, with pretty hair and make up, and only 2 of them were wearing glasses. They did not seem to me to be smarter than the others.
At 6pm, we were all exhausted from a very long day of written tests with 10 special education teachers watching our every step. Just before we went home, the teachers gave each girl a piece of paper on which to write the name of the girl that each one thought was the most impressive in the entire group. The 10 teachers were then asked to write the 5 names of the girls that they thought were the most impressive and that would do well in their special education studies.
“As you all know, we can only have 15 people out of the 30 that we have here in front of us. Thank you all for coming today. We will read what you have written on your voting papers and determine the top 15 by those who got the most votes”, said the coordinator. I thought it was cruel but I knew it would be better to know than to wish.
I chose a tall girl with the most beautiful curly hair, who did not wear glasses. Much to my surprise, I received 39 votes, and I am sure it was because of the glasses!
This month, I read about a new research that claims, “Wearing glasses does not mean you are a nerd, but it could be a sign that you are more intelligent“.
Yet, this issue could be a chicken and egg situation.
Does wearing glasses make you smart?
Or
Does being smart make you wear glasses?
What do you think? Post your opinion below.
Ronit
I think it all depends on how u look or what u think u look better in cause some ppl look better in glasses and some ppl look better without them that’s my opinion!!!!
I think there is also some sort of placebo effect/self-fulfilling prophecy in place. Many students that appear to be smart have teachers that treat them more intelligently, challenge them more, and thus may create a smarter more involved student.
Actually there was a study done with a room full of students and the teacher was told that a handful of them were gifted. When the grades came in, those students not only did the best in the class, but were also more participative. Where as the students who WERE naturally smart but not in that group performed very average.
The other factor I think is some sort of expectations from other to be smart and finding a way to better perform in school.
Also I think the placebo effect is another component. I have always been told by everyone in my family that I am smart. I did well in early elementary but beyond that I think my body finally grew into my brain and my intelligence became fairly average. However, I have always been more motivated and have never cheated as I have always seen more merit in learning the material rather than just getting a grade. I think this was due to people telling me that I was smart and caused me to be more involved in school.
Now that I’m in graduate school I can see that anyone can get through school, it just takes some extreme involvement (reading 2 long articles and at least a chapter everyday) and you can succeed. Actually I think for grad school it overwhelms intelligence, meaning, it doesn’t matter how smart you are you still have to put in a bunch of work. But of course more intelligence never hurts.
Reading Glasses,
I have never been bullied for my glasses but I know that many others were bullied.
I always think of the connection between intelligence and glasses as strange.
I started wearing glasses when I was a teen – did I turn intelligent then?
Ronit
http://www.behappyinlife.com
Lily,
It is funny you saying it.
last week I ran a workshop to a group of grade 5 students. We were talking about bullying and when we finished the workshop a girl came to us and said she moved schools because the kids were teasing her for having glasses. She did not wear glasses and I asked her , do you have contacts now? and she said “no”. she was so traumatized by the bullying she is not wearing her glasses to school at all.
I freaked out.
God, I cannot see without my glasses.
I cannot think without my glasses.
Can you imagine her schooling without glasses.
I do not envy that girl.
There will always be bully kids and what they do is look for some weakness – If kids see it as weakness, the bully will notice it in no time.
I had contacts in the past. twice in fact and I am still wearing glasses because it is much easier. I don’t have the time every morning to put the contacts on.
There are many disadvantages to wearing glasses.
I hate it when I watch a 3D movie.
I hate it when I want to do snorkeling
It is less fun in swimming.
I hate to be in the rain.
There are many disadvantages.
At least the greatest advantage is that people think we are smart…
Happy life
Ronit
http://www.behappyinlife.com
I don’t know about bullying but I sure find intelligent, someone with the glasses, and most of my friends in school with glasses use to be intelligent. I don’t know if that was a coincidence tho.
Really not many people bully people with glasses I have been to schools: public and private and no one ever made fun of me. Some people called me a nerd because I was so good at math and I had glasses but that was only my friends who were teasing me.
Back when I got glasses in 2nd grade it wasn’t that bad people noticed but only my friends because I had thin frames. When I got a new pair of glasses only my friends noticed. And here is the funniest part: when I got contacts in 8th grade only my friends noticed!
People really only notice if you go on and on about getting glasses or if you get thick frames (not lenses) in a dark color, out-of-the-ordinary pattern, or bright color. Three girls in my eighth grade class have gotten glasses this school year and its October! More are to come!
With my experience with glasses I learned: playing sports was horrible when I got sweaty, when the eye doctor squirts air into your eye hurts, pulling up your glasses up your nose is a habit, and as soon as you get contacts you will NEVER go back, at least for girls.
Hi Ethel,
some kids wear glasses because of genetic disposition. I personally not sure about that.
I wear glasses since my teen years. My daughter reads soooooooooooooo much ( it is not funny, she reads about 4-6 hours a day)and she does not have glasses.
I think it is probably some combination of the two.
happy day
Ronit
The latter situation you described… many intelligent people spend so much time reading that they become near sighted, thus needed glasses.
Steve,
Sometimes I wonder about conact lenses.
Do you think people with contact lenses miss the advantage or being percived smarter?
Happy day
Life Coaching
Great article – yes they do make you smarter! hah kidding, but I’ve seen some people around business conferences and such wearing glasses that looked like they had no right to wear! So ya never know what impression a sleek pair of spectacles can do for you!