Scott Alexander critiques a study on fathers' influence on sons' obesity, highlighting statistical flaws and misleading publicity, while exploring the broader challenge of identifying genuine parental effects. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques a study claiming fathers have a unique influence on their sons' obesity. He points out statistical flaws, particularly the lack of adjustment for multiple comparisons, and criticizes the university's press release for overstating the findings. The post also discusses the challenge of separating parental effects from genetic or intrauterine factors, and asks for examples of credible studies showing gender-specific parental effects. Shorter summary