Interesting Advantage and Disadvantage of Being Short in Height

Disadvantage of Being Short in Height

1.We see short men as less powerful

In one experiment, students were asked to draw a figure representing their concept of an average bloke and an ideal national leader. Two-thirds of students drew the leader as taller than the citizen. When asked if they saw themselves as a potential political leader, taller students expressed more confidence in their leadership abilities and more interest in running for a political office.

This translates into politics. The shorter candidate has defeated the taller in only eight of the 28 US elections since 1900. In our time, the improbable giant killer has been George W. Bush, who defeated two taller opponents: John Kerry, who was 11 cm taller, and Al Gore, who was 3 cm taller. Hillary Clinton (169 cm) will have to overcome a 19 cm deficit if she is to defeat her likely opponent Donald Trump (188 cm).

2.Women prefer taller men

Women like their men tall, though there may be a ceiling effect (so to speak) at somewhat over 185 cm. According to many users, the dating site eHarmony reportedly discriminates against short men signing up because they can’t find matches for them.

If women were randomly paired with men, we would expect about 8-10% of women to be taller than their male partners. And this does happen occasionally: Nicole Kidman (180 cm) is a serial shorter-man coupler, overshadowing Keith Urban by 2 cm and Tom Cruise by 10 cm. But in reality, only about 4% of women are taller than their partners.

Very short men (less than 163 cm) have fewer lifetime sexual partners(five versus seven partners) than taller men. Tall men also have more reproductive success. Among homosexual men, men who prefer a more active sexual role prefer shorter partners, whereas those who prefer a more passive sexual role preferred taller partners.

3.Shorter people feel less secure and likeable

In one experiment, 60 adults from the general population who were prone to having “mistrustful thoughts” underwent a virtual reality experience of a train ride on the underground.

The participants experienced the same virtual trip journey twice: once at their normal height and once at a height that had been virtually reduced by 25 cm. Although participants didn’t consciously notice the height difference, more of them reported feeling less capable, less likeable, more insecure and inferior when they were virtually dwarfed.

4.Taller men may live longer

There is a vigorous debate around the relationship between height and mortality. Some researchers have found that shorter stature is associated with longer life. Taller people are more likely to die of cancer (each 1 cm in height increases relative risk by about 0.7%), perhaps because they have more cells and hence a greater risk of DNA mistranscription when cells divide. The greatest risk is for melanoma, perhaps due to a larger exposed skin surface.

However, most studies have found that taller people have longer lives, although the effect is small. Various studies have found that each extra 1 cm of height reduces the relative risk of death at any age by about 0.5%, 0.6% and 2%.

5.Taller men are smarter

Height has been consistently but weakly associated with intelligence in humans. Height may be an accumulative biomarker of general healthduring development, or genetic factors may impact both height and intelligence.

Advantage of Being Short in Height

1.Being short carries a reduced risk of cancer

A major study published this week by the Karolinska Institute has revealed that the taller you stand, the more likely you are to develop cancer. According to researchers, the cancer risk for men increases by 11 per cent for every extra 10cm of height, whilst rising for women by a shocking 18pc per 10cm.

Studying data gathered on 5.5 million people born between 1938 and 1991, with heights ranging from 3ft 3in to 7ft 6in, the Swedish academics found that people of above average height were up to 30pc more susceptible to skin cancer. 

2.Lower risk of heat exhaustion or sun stroke

Tom Samaras, the American researcher who studied the correlation between height and life expectancy, has also studied the effects of heat on different body types. His findings show that the shorter a person is, the less likely they are to suffer the ill effects of the sun.

"The advantage of tall people keeping warmer in cold weather becomes a disadvantage in hot weather," writes Samaras. "Thus, in a hot environment, the shorter person's surface area in proportion to body heat generated at rest allows him/her to lose heat more readily than taller people of similar body builds."

In Layman's terms, the larger a person is, the more body they have to get hot. And, because this heat dissipates through skin at a slower rate than it is created, the extra surface area a tall person has is rendered almost inconsequential to the speed of the cooling down process. Ergo, small people don't initially generate as much heat and so expelling it in great volumes is never an issue.

3.You develop strong toes, legs, and arms.

In the talldom, many fixtures are placed at high levels because of course, tall people can reach them. Short people can’t. Not without standing on their toes and raising their arms to kingdom come. And therein lie the benefits.

You’ll be surprised at how fit and muscular your toes can get when you constantly have to stand on them to survive. Give it a year and your toes may be evolved enough to use for house chores.

Sometimes, standing on your toes won’t be enough. You have to jump as high as you can which is good for your legs. Toe support or jumping is normally accompanied by stretching one or both arms upwards to get hold of a lofty target. So aside from your toes and legs, your arms also get some unintended aerobic action. Now who needs to go to the gym.

4. You can shop for clothes in the children’s section.

European size clothes are generally designed for people with longer bodies. So if you’re a short woman, a European size tunic will look like a dress on you. And a European size dress may be your equivalent of a gown, with a trail. For short men, good luck finding pants with just the right length.

So the kiddy section may at times be best suited to your needs. At least, you get to be a size or two smaller by European standards of measurement. It’s like instant loss weight without the physical torture.

5. You become creative and resourceful.

Out of desperation to reach for things, you suddenly discover that almost anything can be turned into a step stool. A chair is no longer just something to sit on but something for you to stand on. This outside the box thinking extends to other things in your house. Garbage cans, thick boxes, upturned pots and pails, tables, chests, ledges, cabinets, refrigerators. You see them in a way you’ve never seen them before —as potential ladders.