Hello alk-ga:
There is overwhelming research that tall men are perceived as
better-looking than short men; that they attract more women than do
short men; are more likely than short men to marry and/or have
children, and have more children than do short men, and are more
likely than short men to impress potential employers.
Since the perception of tall men is so favorable, the apparent,
resulting psychological syndrome which afflicts tall men --while not
formally named -- seems to amount to "feelin' good."
This study from Allegheny College in PA found "[p]hotographs of males
were rated as more attractive by female subjects when the males were
depicted as tall":
http://webpub.allegheny.edu/employee/d/danders/StatOne/EXAM3.htm
Here's an ABC News story, "Tall Men Get The Girls," at:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/science/DailyNews/tall_vs_shortmen000112.html
The BBC News Web site asked its international audience: "Tall Men:
Does Size Matter?" The reaction from readers was clear and
overwhelming: tall men are considered more attractive than short men,
and tall men, by virtue of being tall, attract more attention!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/601870.stm
See a similar discussion at SignOnSanDiego:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/forums/upload/showthread.php?threadid=13831
" . . .shorter height predicts less later job success; there is an
apparent workplace bias that favors taller people." Excerpted
from the March 1999 issue of "Psychology: Science And Understanding"
magazine:
http://www.mhhe.com/socscience/intro/cafe/smith/news/mar99.htm
Height seems to be a very important issue to men, in terms of positive
body image and overall self-esteem, This study of "Adolescent Male
Athletes: Body Image, Diet, and Exercise," printed in the Fall 1997,
Vol. 32 issue of "Adolescence" reports that:
" . . . However, there was a significant difference in the main
effect for both groups with respect to current and desired height (F =
60.453, p = .0001). Both groups wanted to be taller."
http://npin.org/library/2003/n00788/n00788.html
" . . . Tall males can overcome the attributions of weakness,
non-assertiveness and nurturance that tend to be associated with
baby-like facial features." From "Human Communication as a Primate
Heritage," at the University of Toronto:
http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/epc/srb/cyber/zel8.html
"What Do Women Want? Nature Serves Up a Tall Order," by Sean Swint, in
this January 12, 2000 article which examines a study of Polish men
performed by researchers from the University of Liverpool:
http://my.webmd.com/content/article/23/1728_54074
". . .'taller men are reproductively more successful than shorter men,
indicating that there is active selection for stature in male partners
by women'. . . . There are two schools of thought in sexual selection
theory about those fundamental desires . . . One, that passed down
through the hunter-gatherer, agricultural history of modern man, is a
sense among women that tallness gives an advantage because it
signifies strength. Additionally, tallness could also be a marker for
good genes . . . . The second reason, according to [Dr. R.I.M.]Dunbar,
is possibly more crucial to the mating decision. Tallness, he says,
could signal'the quality of the rearing environment that the male had
when he was young. . . because to get big you not only need genes for
tallness, but you need a good environment,' one that is healthy and
provides good nutrition."
On August 14, 2002, the BBC reported that "Tall men 'top husband
stakes'":
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/2190461.stm
"'It seems that tall men and petite women are favoured in evolutionary
terms, even in a modern population, so the height difference between
men and women is unlikely to disappear'" says Daniel Nettle of the
Open University. . . . The finding will come as no surprise to
evolutionary biologists. Some have long postulated a positive link
between male reproductive success and lofty stature." However,
"'There is no evidence that these choices are actually favoured in
evolutionary terms,' says Adam Eyre-Walker from the Centre for the
Study of Evolution at the University of Sussex, Brighton. He says the
study was done on British people, so all we may be seeing is the
influence of culture."
The August 16, 2003 edition of the Deccan Herald News (Bangalore,
India) contains the article "SWEET AND SOUR Long and short of it": "An
American research organisation has come to the conclusion that tall
men get a better deal in life than their shorter cousins. . . .
Another researcher has discovered that nearly 80 per cent of American
senior executives are over six feet tall as were most heads of US
government starting with Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, the
Roosevelts and Kennedy. In every presidential election, it was the
taller candidate who won."
http://www.deccanherald.com/deccanherald/aug16/edst.asp
The same article reveals an interesting twist:
"It is not the same in Europe. In World War II we had General De
Gaulle of France who was nearly six feet six inches tall but we also
had Churchill and Attlee who were shorter than average as was Adolf
Hitler . . . . How much of this applies to the Indian scene? All our
prime ministers were men of average Indian height of around five feet
six inches."
The June 27th edition of the Washington Post reported "Strength in
Numbers: Clubs for Tall People," by Christian Davenport, which is
archived at the Baltimore Tall Club's site:
http://www.tall.org/clubs/md/btc/press/washpost-6-27.html
"A Few Tall Facts
Human height is a much-studied topic. Here's a sampling of findings on
tall people:
* The taller candidate has won 10 of the last 12 presidential
elections.
* A study in Poland found that taller men were more likely to marry
and have children. On average, bachelors and childless men were about
an inch shorter than married men with children.
* A survey in 1980 found that more than half of the chief executives
of Fortune 500 companies were 6 feet or taller.
* A University of Pittsburgh study found that people 6-2 and taller
received starting salaries 12 percent higher than those under 6 feet.
* A University of Arizona study found that mothers who were shown
photographs of toddlers rated the taller ones more competent than the
shorter ones.
* Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University asked 84 students to
approach standing men of various height until they felt 'uncomfortably
close.' On average, the students stayed twice as far away from the man
who was 6-3 than the man who was 5-4."
Here's an example of height-related hubris (albeit not at all a
clinically recognized condition!), the Standing Tall Matters site:
http://www.king.igs.net/~rogersk/tall.htm
Of course, for sheer hubris nothing bests the example of
probonopublico-ga, who is well-known at this site for his many tall
tales.
In the interest of fairness: providing hope to the vertically
challenged is the "First Official Site For Taller Women and Shorter
Men Couples":
http://www.geocities.com/tallershorter/getgirlstip.htm
And
The article "I like 'em short. What short men lack in height, they
make up for in might" by Julie Manis, from the February 29, 2000
edition of Salon.com:
http://dir.salon.com/health/sex/urge/2000/02/29/short/index.html
Search Strings:
"'psychological syndrome' tall men"
"male psychology height"
"'tall men' opposite Napoleon complex"
"tall man syndrome"
"self-perception tall men"
"understanding male psychology height"
"perceived attributions tall men"
If you are a height-challenged male, please bear in mind that I am
merely the messenger, when rating my answer.
Regards,
nancylynn-ga |
