It depends. Short, dense code can make the code more difficult to understand/change later, while overly bloated code can have the same effect.

I often find inelegant, yet straightforward solutions are generally better options than dense, mathematically pure solutions, simply because inelegant code usually relies on fewer assumptions. Noting that code rarely/never evolves the way we expect it to, apply Occam's razor and strike a balance.

No it doesn't depends. That's what ceteris paribus means.

Shorter code may or may not make things more readable. If brevity was the key to readability, we'd all be minifying all code we write to make it more readable.

Readability is about clarity of intent and function, as well as sensible structure. Sometimes that means writing slightly more code with more expressive naming so that the code is easier to follow. Sometimes that means using a given language's shortcuts to condense things down.