SMBC today shows a graph of life satisfaction vs time for nerds and normal people.
I’m definitely a nerd, and I’m in my mid-50’s. The nerd line on this graph is pretty damn accurate for me, with a few minor variances. I have been enjoying life more and more as time passes, since about age 34.
Mod Edit: Changed title from XKCD to SMBC at request.
That’s SMBC, not XKCD.
:smack:
Mods, a little help? self-reported
Sorry, but I don’t usually chuckle at SMBC and the linked panel was no exception. Graphs jokes are rarely anything more than pandering to one’s base demographic, in my opinion. I don’t really get where this defiance of the pathetic nerd stereotype comes from. I have a wild guess that it’s a generational thing. The idea of the pen protector, coke bottle glasses nerd is antiquated and it seems to me that nerds and nonnerds alike will agree that the blue line best represents their feelings on their life.
Fixed the thread title to SMBC.
I was going to say the exact same thing but not nearly as well.
I’ve always been glad to have grown up in the computerized age. One thing I’ve always appreciated is the expectancy that having computers will keep a lot of, well, older people more in touch with the world, more educated, and hell, just more entertained. I’m not yet 50 but already I appreciate not having to depend on the library for my entertainment, and I grew up reading books CONSTANTLY. Now I read them on my rooted Nook, of course…and I download those on to my computer. 
So count me in to understanding the assumptions of the graph, though I suspect that the continuing ease of use and utter ubiquitousness of computerized technology will have a lot more than just ‘nerds’ appreciating it’s variety on a cold winter’s night. Or just when the arthritis is kicking in.
For another data point, I don’t consider myself to be a nerd, and the red line is fairly accurate for me.
I usually like SMBC, but this one falls terribly flat. Graph jokes have to be really spectacular to not feel lazy, and this one feels inaccurate to boot.