Whether you’re on a date, in a classroom, or in a job interview – being tall is considered more of an advantage, and having a short stature is considered a liability. But even though societal norms and trends have generally favored the big ones amongst us – does height truly matter?
To society – yes.
But amazing men and women in the past have continuously proved that it’s not about the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog. Your height is a number that only defines how far away you are from the ground, but even though this number doesn’t always mean something, even the best amongst us can pass time with useful height comparisons.
Females Prefer Dating Taller Men, Taller Men Can Have Desirable Partners
Usually, females have preferred taller men. In fact, women care more about having a taller partner than men care about having a shorter partner. A research on female preferences found that women are satisfied the most when their partner is 21 centimeters (8 inches) taller than them. On the other hand, males are satisfied the most when their partners are at least 3 inches shorter than them.
Another research on height preferences found that 13.5 percent of all men prefer dating women that are shorter than them. But amongst females, almost half (48.5) prefer dating men who are taller than them.
Additionally, a study also found that on average, the shortest man a woman was willing to date would be 5 feet and 9 inches, but the shortest woman a man was willing to date was 5 feet and 1 inch. This research also found that while only 4% of women would prefer being in a relationship in which they are the tallest, 23% percent of men are willing to accept taller women.
And lastly, research has also shown women who are married to tall men have also continuously reported being in better health, are more educated, have a lower BMI, and a higher earning potential, than women who are married to shorter men.
Short Women and Men are Considered Less Attractive
A research paper that evaluated the different stereotypes around height also had some interesting findings. To start with the experiment, the researchers asked a random group of people to imagine female who was short (4 feet 10 inches), medium (5 feet 4 inches), or tall (5 feet 10 inches). Once this was done, the random group of people rated these women on varying characteristics.
According to the participants in the study, women who were tall or had an average height were perceived to be attractive. What’s worth noting is that for the participants in the study, both average heighted women and tall men had the same perception in society. Meaning, to be perceived as socially desirable, a man must be tall – but on the other hand, for a woman to be socially desirable, she just needs to have the average height.
Tall equals desirability
It is also worth noting that the participants of the study perceived shorter men as physically unattractive, less masculine, less stable in life, less socially desirable, and less successful than men who had an average or tall height. Even though the participants of this study didn’t have these varying differences between them in real life, their height made a huge difference apparently.
As for the tall men, they were viewed as more athletic, than shorter men. To conclude this study, the researchers said that “shortness is more of a liability than tallness is an asset.”
Tall People Are Richer
Economists often consider this as the height premium and no one knows why this works. The height premium is a factor because of which taller people make more money than shorter people – might seem unbelievable – but continuous studies have proved that it’s true.
According to one study, 1 inch increase in height meant that their weekly income would increase between 1.5 to 3 percent – which is huge! Another study showed that an increase in height by an inch meant that person would earn $800 more in a year. According to this, a man who is 6 feet tall earns $160,000 more during a 30-year career than a person who is 5 feet and 5 inches tall.
Tall People Are More Educated, Too
Since they are more educated, and manage to the top schools, they end up being richer, too. On the other hand, a richer person can afford to go to Ivy league schools easily, which is why they end up getting the high-paying jobs.
A study found that the height premium in both women and men is the reason they obtain more educational credentials. This factor can be seen in different countries around the world. In the U.S, men with white collar jobs have are an inch taller than men who have blue-collar jobs. In the U.K, the same pattern can be noticed. Men with white collar jobs are on average 0.6 inches taller than men who have blue collar jobs.
And this pattern isn’t only noticed in men. Even women who have directorial or managerial positions in companies are on average an inch taller than women who have operational positions. Interestingly enough, the same differences can even be noticed in people who belong to same family.
A study conducted by Swedish researchers that even between brothers who belonged to the same family, the taller brother was more likely to opt for higher education. The study also showed that men who are taller than 6 feet and 3 inches are 3 times more likely to get a better job.
Shorter Men Can Be Unhealthy
A study also showed that shorter men tend to be unhealthier than taller men. It was also worth noticing that shorter men tend to marry women who have an unhealthy body. According to the researchers, “Short men were less educated, less healthy, had a higher BMI, and lower household income than taller men … women of a given height who were paired with shorter partners also tended to be less healthy, less educated, and with a higher BMI than women of the same height who were paired with taller partners.”
This is also because a shorter body can gain weight a lot more quickly. Since these men get obese a lot more quickly than taller men, they can have a compromised cardiovascular system. It also puts them at a higher risk of heart disease, while taller men don’t gain weight as quickly as short men.
Because of height comparisons like these, a tool that you can trust is absolutely essential. Luckily for you, our height comparison tool has all the essential features you may need to compare your height with someone else. However, to use it to your advantage, you need to know how to use it first.