"Height is an ideal – especially for men – it’s unfortunate but true, research has shown that taller people get more attention,” explained Dr. Mair Underwood, an anthropologist from the University of Queensland who specialises in cosmetic surgery. She added, “They’re perceived as stronger leaders, more influential, confident and capable, more persuasive, more impressive.”
Tall People and “Looking Down Upon Others”
This can be traced back to early human history, according to psychologist Timothy Judge from the University of Florida. Leadership qualities were ascribed to taller people because they were believed to be more capable of protecting the tribe; and even after millennia of evolution, the same belief has remained.
Literally and figuratively, height allows one to look imperiously down upon others, which could give one a towering sense of confidence. The logical explanation is that tall people have been believed to become greater leaders, hence they naturally step into those positions and gradually improve their people skills.
It is arguable whether this is a case of a self-fulfilling prophecy – do tall people naturally have higher self esteem or is it only so because of the way they are perceived? Nevertheless, this increased confidence has yielded positive benefits for the non-vertically challenged. A 2004 study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology suggested that taller people could earn up to $789 more per year.
Customer Perceptions and Height Bias
The authors behind this study, Timothy Judge and Daniel Cable, analysed data from four American and British longitudinal studies that followed about 8,500 participants from adolescence to adulthood and recorded personal characteristics, salaries and occupations. For the purposes of this study, the average height of a man was designated as 5 feet, 9 inches tall, and for women it was 5 feet, 3 inches tall.
In the research, the authors pointed out that even in jobs like accounting or legal services, where height cannot be considered an essential ability or a bona fide occupational qualification, there is still an implicit bias towards taller people in terms of promotions and salaries.
However, in other jobs like sales and management, taller people tend to have a higher level of performance and hence earning ability, because customers view them more positively. This is proven in the study’s occupational analysis, which indicated linkages between height and earnings in occupations where persuasion and negotiation are critical.
The Napoleon Complex
As for the diminutive, they compensate by using an inflated appearance of height to look more powerful, especially those in positions of high status, claims Professor Lara Tiedens of Stanford University. Among these tactics are looking and talking directly at people, reducing the space of others and expanding their own, interrupting at will and using vigorous gestures.
This is often termed the Napoleon complex, after the French emperor legendary for his conquests and his height (or lack thereof – but this fact is still disputed on many accounts today). A plausible suggestion is that this complex could be a subconscious turn-off for employers, as it could be perceived as aggression and unwillingness to cooperate.
Competency is Key
Even though it seems petite people have gotten the shorter end of the stick in terms of employment, height is no match for competency – qualifications, experience and charm will do much more for one’s job prospects than a pair of stilettos.
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