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From The Times

July 26, 2007

The big issue

When we were hunter-gatherers a man’s height mattered, but can it really matter today? Yes, say the surveys: tall men attract women and are better paid. Dr Thomas Stuttaford explains why the last of our prejudices refuses to go away

Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, David and Victoria Beckham, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith

No one who wanted a second invitation to dinner or to lecture to a learned society would dare to show any evidence of gender bias, racial or religious prejudices, ageism and (other than the disparaging remarks about toffs that are for some reason acceptable) class prejudice.

The law has accepted that discrimination on grounds of race, disability or sex is illegal and has recently added age to the categories of prejudices that are not only socially unacceptable but can result in legal consequences. The photographs of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes taken with the Beckhams and the Smiths in Los Angeles this week all emphasised the relative size of Tom Cruise to Katie Holmes. There was a subliminal message that size mattered, and wasn’t Cruise lucky to have done so well despite being vertically challenged?

The Army drill sergeant is no longer, under pain of court martial, allowed to draw attention to a recruit’s religious or racial background but he would still probably get away with referring to the soldier as a short-arsed little blighter (or a similar epithet). Height prejudice is accepted, even if good manners ensure that it is not often mentioned in front of the person who is short. Tom Cruise is lucky in that, once on the film set or in a formal photograph, pictures can be taken when a block can be used or shoes modified to reduce any disparity in height. On some film sets other actors have insisted that their co-stars, who are appreciably taller, should wear hollowed-out shoes that take an inch or so off their height. The prejudices, biases and unfairnesses of judging people by their height, a relic of prehistoric mankind, are ever-present.

In the 21st century, as it was in the 19th century, to be tall is to be dealt a trump card by nature that could make someone’s life easier. Research has shown that a tall, broad-shouldered man is more likely than a shorter rival to have an advantage when looking for a mate, or for employment. Research published last year from Princeton University showed that both tall men and women earn 10 per cent more than those who are 4in shorter. The chances of a man reaching the equivalent in Britain of the directors’ boardroom are 3 per cent greater if he is 6ft 2in than 5ft 10in.

A host of contemporary politicians, tycoons, financiers and even media celebrities have emulated Napoleon, but this isn’t evidence that height doesn’t matter: rather that a lack of stature can be compensated for by intelligence, single-mindedness, energy and presentation. No one claims that a short man can’t succeed but the evidence is that from early childhood the taller and better looking are considered by their employers, teachers and contemporaries from the kindergarten onwards as being more desirable social companions, as well as more able.

Doctors Karen Dion and Ellen Berschied, from the University of Wisconsin, published a paper showing that children aged 4 to 6 asked to judge classmates’ desirability assessed it on appearance. This bias wasn’t confined to the children: it was also reflected in the teachers’ expectations of their performance. Similarly, Doctors David Landy and Harold Sigall, of the University of Rochester in the US, demonstrated that when undergraduates were asked to evaluate their colleagues’ intellectual ability and the value of their essays it was heavily biased by height and build.

This is not only a transatlantic phenomenon. As long ago as 1962, Walter Burger and Heinz Schuler of the University of Augsburg in Germany demonstrated that a tall, good-looking man was likely to be chosen for a job not just because of his ability to carry it out efficiently: he was given better ratings for friendliness, creativity and motivation.

Height matters to both men and women but is more important to men. This gender difference relates to the origins of the preference for taller people as companions or employees. It is so ingrained that those who display it are unaware of their bias or what has caused it. The modern man evolved during the tens of thousands of years when his desirability was related either to his hunting prowess or his ferocity and success as a warrior. The survival of his genetic code was initially dependent on his ability to keep his family fed and the sabre-toothed tiger from the cave’s door. His women recognised this and wanted him to sire their children.

The other men in his group accepted that the taller, better-built man with long legs, a well developed chest to allow for good strong heart and lungs and a thick skull to withstand an enemy’s battering was the person to have beside you when hunting or fighting. The women had evolved features that were subconsciously linked by men to be associated with health, fertility and efficiency as mothers.

So how can you ensure that your children grow to their full potential? There is still a class difference in the height of children. Some of this may be related to sleep, but mainly it is diet. A year or two ago I was in the Netherlands at a paediatric conference when the question of why Dutch adolescents were the tallest in Europe was raised. The lecturer had no doubts. He said that in his opinion it was in part because of the overall standard of living, but especially because children there still drank milk. The milk gave them a cheap supply of protein that is essential for growth.

Animal protein is expensive but is the best way of taking the essential amino acids essential for good growth. Vegans can, with difficulty, compensate for lack of animal protein but fish and meat make it easier for children to reach their full potential. Protein should be introduced to a baby’s diet between the ages of six months and a year – every taste and texture included. And from 5 years of age onwards they should have an adult-sized portion at least twice a week until they are fully grown. This can be fish or meat and, if the latter, does not have to be red.

Regular exercise improves any child’s chances of developing a good physique. They should be taking at least an hour a day: a game of football twice a week doesn’t compensate for the rest of the week being spent in front of the television set. Sleep is also vital: ten hours’ sound sleep until the age of 7 or 8, and eight hours thenceforth is best (more growth hormones are produced when asleep than awake). Afternoon naps in young children are of greater advantage to parents than their child.

Environment as well as genes matters as a means of achieving full height. This doesn’t apply only to food, exercise and sleep but also to freedom from infection. Being exposed to infection early in a child’s life by mixing with other children will give them immunity to many organisms. Not having too cosseted a life when a baby will also reduce their chances of developing allergies. Later their freedom from infection will be fostered by having well-heated, well-ventilated houses – an expensive but desirable provision.

Finally, if a child is to reach its full potential height, love and security are also necessary. Even the care a baby receives in the womb so that it is of a reasonable weight, preferably around 8lb at birth, will have a lasting effect on the child’s stature and health. If a child isn’t growing as fast as it should be, expert opinion is always called for. This will exclude specific problems and will also determine whether artificial growth hormones could rectify the situation.

If you’re short, try getting rich

Evolution shows a strong preference for tall men. They produce more offspring and their genes are propagated more frequently. They are perceived as more successful, socially skilled and intelligent, and are more confident because they’re used to getting their way: it worked on the savannahs of Africa and it applies to our knowledge-based economy as well. This is explained by the hunter-gatherer model (the biggest thug always wins) and the theory that if you’re bigger you have more brain matter and therefore a higher IQ. It’s a playground effect: you always win in the sandpit of life and that affects your willingness to have a go, take up challenges, succeed.

The “Napoleon complex” is less about confidence than bloody-mindedness. Short men can be bullish because they have to be to succeed. Evidence suggests that your height at 16 remains your mental height for ever: if you’ve grown up feeling trodden on, adding a few inches at 35 won’t help. But men are lucky because women have a broad range of criteria for prospective partners. Short men can always trade off other attributes – such as wealth!
ROBIN I. M. DUNBAR

Professor of evolutionary psychology at the University of Liverpool

The tall woman: ‘My high life’

I love being tall. I’m 5ft 11in, and often closer to 6ft 2in in heels. I always have a wonderful view at the theatre and concerts, and while I’m privy to who has dandruff or nits it’s a small price to pay. On the Tube my nose is mercifully clear of smelly armpits, and in pubs I can always catch the barman’s eye.

Growing up – in both senses – was more of an ordeal. Few shops stocked shoes over a size 7: the frustration and humilation of being unable to stuff my foot into the latest must-have is still vivid in my memory. Trousers would fit perfectly around the waist but I looked as if I was about to wade across a river as they were always a couple of inches too short.

Boys were also an issue: most seemed to be stuck at midget level. Just once I kissed a boy a couple of inches shorter than me and it felt all wrong. His arms didn’t fit over my shoulders and when our lips touched my head was at an awkward angle. But the benefits beat the disadvantages: I was served underage in pubs and slipped in undetected to watch 18-certificate films.

Have I ever wanted to be smaller? Only when I am at the Comedy Store and they are picking on the crowd.
PORTIA COLWELL

The short(ish) man: ‘My height? Don’t know, don’t want to know’

Gentlemen, how tall are you? Me, I am about 5ft 8in . . . ish. I don’t really know for sure, although I am sure that at my last health check-up the doctor told me exactly. In fact, I have forgotten how tall I am because I don’t want to know: I don’t want to dwell on the fact that I am (just) shorter than the British average (5ft 9in). And I am not alone in my forgetfulness. I have just done a quick survey in the office and, without exception, every man who is above average height can state with certainty their tallness, while every man below can’t quite pinpoint their shortness. Height matters.

The issue underpinned much of my upbringing. My father was short but it was never really mentioned in our house, and for the life of me I can’t tell you how short. But his army nickname – he was a career soldier – was Titch. I never quite got used to colleagues coming up to Dad at regimental reunions with a hearty: “Titch, how the devil are you?” It seemed for years like a playground insult that had no place in the adult world. I realised later that for my father it was a badge of honour and camaraderie, and he was a big enough man not to let his height bother him.

I, too, was short growing up. I was always one of the smallest in my year, but because I was fast and pretty good at most sports (apart from basketball) it never really mattered much.

Then came girls. This is where height really does matter, for all the evolutionary reasons set out on these pages. I have never been out with a girl taller than me. I couldn’t imagine looking up to steal a goodnight kiss. My wife is shorter than me, and that feels right: it feels right when we dance together and it looks right when we are pictured together. There is a complicated, deep-seated equation involving power, protection and masculine pride at work here and I would say it is impossible to fight it.

So should height matter in the boardroom as well as the bedroom? Of course not. Heightism is as bad as racism or ageism. But the prejudice is hardwired into all of us in a way that will make it difficult to eradicate. Take this test. Would you rather be tall and dumb or short and smart? My immediate reaction is short and smart. But what if the question is: would you rather be tall and dumb or 5ft 2in and smart? I find myself hesitating . . .
MICHAEL HARVEY

Tall stories

Researchers in Poland found that taller men were more likely to be fathers than shorter men. Childless men were on average 1.25in (3cm) shorter than men who had fathered at least one child.

A study published in the journal Nature appears to back up this theory. Robin I. M. Dunbar and colleagues at the University of Liverpool studied 3,200 men in their twenties to fifties, whose average height was 5ft 6in (170cm). They found:

— Taller men are more likely to be married and have children than shorter men.
— Childless bachelors are significantly shorter than married men.
— Those with children were, on average, 1.2in taller than childless men.
— Married men were on average 1in taller than bachelors.

Tall men are more likely to study longer than short men, according to Swedish research – 43 per cent of men surveyed who were taller than 6ft 3in (194cm) had at least one year of college education, compared with only 22 per cent of the men who were shorter than 5ft 4in.

Extra inches could also equate to extra income. Analysing the results of four studies, Timothy Judge, a University of Florida management professor, and Daniel Cable, a business professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel-Hill, found that for each extra inch in height, a person earned about $789 (£384) more in pay.

— A man who is 6ft tall would earn £2,700 more each year than another of 5ft 5in.
—The tallest men and women in the world are from the Dinaric Alps, on the Eastern Adriatic coast. Men are on average 6ft 1in and women are 5ft 7in.
— The shortest people in the world are from Malta, where men stand at an average height of 5ft 6in and women are 5ft 2in.

Average height of people in the UK:
Men 5ft 9in; women 5ft 3in.

Sources: Dynamique de l’évolution humaine, 2005; Eurostat, Statistical Office of the European Communities, 2007 study; NHS Health Survey for England 2005

Heights of famous men:
Bernie Ecclestone: 5ft 2in (and a half)
Daniel Radcliffe: 5ft 5in (and a half)
Rupert Grint: 5ft 10in
Michael J. Fox: 5ft 4in
Al Pacino: 5ft 5in
Eddie Izzard: 5ft 7in
Elton John: 5ft 7in
Jude Law: 5ft 10in
Gordon Brown: 5ft 11in
George Clooney: 5ft 11in
George W. Bush: 5ft 11in
Monty Panesar: 6ft 1in
Prince William: 6ft 2in
Liam Neeson: 6ft 4in
Terry Waite: 6ft 7in

Did you match the name to the height? Tom Cruise 5ft 7in, Katie Holmes 5ft 9in, David Beckham 6ft, Victoria Beckham 5ft 5in, Will Smith 6ft 2in, Jada Pinkett-Smith 5ft.

I am rather short male my height is 4'10 tall or not so tall has the joke goes.I am a fully grown adult aged 45 yrs old.I have a twin sister who is alot luckier to me has she reached a height of 5'9.My twin got more of the nutrients than me while our mum was pregnant.The g.p told me i should have reached at least 5'9.We also have a brother who is 6'2 and 39 yrs old.I found it pretty hard growing up has i couldnt keep up with my sister she just kept growing.If that wasnt hard enough i had to watch my brother get taller than me when we were 15 yrs old.My brother and sister have a well paid job while i have had to work harder to get to where i am now.I was lucky enough to marry a woman who loved me for who i am she is a couple of years older and her height is 5'6.She did used to say that it was a shame i wasnt that bit taller but we are all the same lying down she tells me.We have 1 daughter who is 5'0 and a son who is 5'10.My daughter laughs about all our heights when we meet up.

Jazz, southend, essex

I am a rather short woman with a height of 4'9 i am also aged 44 yrs old.I have 1 brother 6'4 and 47 yrs old and a sister 5'11 and 50 yrs old.My height apparently came from my nan's one is 4'11 and the other 4'10 at their peek.Now due to their age they are both similar in height to me has you know we all shrink when we get older.So i suppose i am looking at a height of 4'7 which is a shame.I always blemed it on my brother and sister taking all the height gene which we always laughed about.My mum is 5'10 and dad 6'2,which was abit strange has both their mum's were short but their dad equally has tall has themselves.My sister married a tall guy over 6'0 has she always felt uncomfortable with a shorter guy her 2 children are 5'8 and 6'5.My brother married a shorter woman 5'7 their only child is 5'10.I married a 5'0 guy we had 3 children the oldest is 5'4 a son then a daughter 4'11 followed by the youngest son who is 5'8.We never had a problem with our heights thankfully we got it together

debs, London, England

5'6" or shorter:

Winston Churchill, Mayor Bloomberg, Willie Nelson, Andrew Carnegie, seven US presidents [ including Grant, who really beat the South badly ], two US Marine Corps generals, and a lot of rich jewish guys like Jeff Katzenburg, David Geffen, and Dustin Hoffman.

juandeveras, L.A., CA

Some short guys:

[ it's really the size of the balls that count ]
Winston Churchill - 5'6"
Willie Nelson - 5'6"
Andrew Carnegie - 5'4"
Toulouse Lautrec - 5'4"
Jack Valenti - 5'6"
Jeff Katzenburg - ditto
David Geffen - ditto
Dustin Hoffman - ditto
Presidents Polk,Grant [ also general],Taylor,VanBuren,Harrison,McKinley,
Adams,Adams - ditto
Gens. Chesty Puller,Victor Krulak - USMC - 5'8",5'4"
Barry Diller - short
Sam Zell - short
Jackie Mason - short
Alan Ladd 5'4"

Note: shorter men are considered better proportioned for the camera

juandeveras, L.A., CA

Get Shorty

degustibus, yoncalla, USA/OR

I may be wrong but I believe that among the great geniuses of mankind there are many more unusually short rather than unusually tall.
This may have to do with 'overcoming' a deficiency in one area by super- development in another.
This does not obviate the finding that in general 'tall people' have a social and economic advantage but simply points to another significant aspect of the question.

Shalom Freedman, Jerusalem , Israel

Karen Dion is (and was at the time of her and Berschied's study) at the University of Toronto. Which is nowhere near Wisconsin. As for the effect of height, even the examples you cite show that it is weak and probably superseded by the effects of other variables.

John FitzGerald, Toronto, Canada

This is a very worthy addition to the long list of "I swear, y'all, it's HARD to be a white man because there's some tiny sliver of inconvenience to my day that I am happy to compare with centuries of racism and sexism." You win today's NO CLUE award for sheer obliviousness. May someone send you a pair of lifts and an end to your suffering.

Anna, London,

Is this topic limited to North America and the European continents.....If so we are leaving out all the Chinese and Japanese people who would never be able to measure up to this heightenedd success and measuring stick for intercontinetal morons. I do believe the Chinese would agree smaller is better. This has nothing to do with their self-esteem, power trips or Napoleonic compleXes and everything to do with high tech componet parts and brains.

cheyanne, fenton, michigan, USA

According to Celebrityheights.com (possibly the best website ever) Grint is 5' 7.75. (Nice mix of Imperial and metric there, too!)

Laura, Gateshead,

I'm only 5'8 so I suppose I qualify as a short one, however I find that a lot of the problems and judgement (I refuse to say discrimination - it's a word that has been taken out of all context) come from how men carry themselves.

So many are hunched forward with their shoulders sloped in and not forced back with their chests in. Simply correcting your posture and lifting your head adds inches, increases your self confidence and makes you feel great.

The best example of this was a conversation I had with a group of ladies about height. I told them I was only 5'8 and they refused to believe me. It's the second best compliment I have ever had - I'll not share the first with you.

Richard Holloway, London, UK

Rupert Grint cannot possibly be 5'10. Looking at the photos of all 3 harry pottter kids standing in cement at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre ceremony, standing side by side, they are all almost the same height. Mr. Grint looks to be 2 inches taller than Dan Radclifffe which makes him about 5'7, which incidentally is the height he admitted to in an interview.

Maria, st. albert, canada

To throw in my two cents, I kinda like um tall. Not such a problem in today's Japan, although it does also mean going young.
But the thing that does disturb me is the way Brits are locked into Imperial measurement. Only three countries in the world officially still use Imperial measurement; Liberia, Myanmar (Burma in BBC speak), and the USA. Good reason to go Metric, right?

Andrew Milner, Yokohama, Kanagawa

I just have to say Prince William according to the official royal website is 6'3, not 6'2 and it's his brother Prince Harry who is 6'2.

Karen, Virginia, USA

From a personal point of view I love being small (I'm male and 5'2"), but socially it's a real handicap and I have to work 10 times harder to gain anything. I'm good at my job, yet am constantly ignored. I'm intelligent, fit and funny, yet am seemingly invisible to women.
There is, however, some enjoyment to be had from letting peoples prejudice lead them to seriously underestimate your abilities, then biting back when they least expect it. There's only one thing that a 6'2" alpha male hates more than being wrong footed.....and that's being wrong footed by the short arse.

Mouse, Glasgow,

To "Teeny tiny lovely" - I'm sure you are lovely, but I wasn't saying tall women were unattractive! I am going to have to defend us tall girls now a bit and say that I definitely don't spend my days "bending my knees at the periphery of a party looking ungainly".

I was just pointing out that the article was about the world from a tall or short man's point of view, rather than a woman's. I believe it is a statistical fact that female shorties are more likely to be married - less trouble finding a man taller than them I should think! It just is totally ridiculous that even fairly tall women like me at 5'9'' can't e.g. find trousers that fit in a normal clothes shop!

Rachel, Edinburgh,

They don't say how difficult it is for short women to get clothes, even in the UK. The Serbs are actually the tallest people in the world, and the Netherlands second. I have many memories of not being able to touch my lipstick up in Dutch public toilets!

Laura , Walton on Thames, UK

Why not tell us how height will affect evolution in the future, as well as the past? "Those with children were, on average, 1.2in taller than childless men." You would therefore expect each generation to be taller than the previous one, provided that height is at least partially affected by genes. If we guess the height increase is just 0.1inch per generation, that implies that human height will increase by 4 inches during the next 1000 years - an extremely fast rate of evolution. It might even be so fast that the evolution could be demonstrated by comparing gene frequencies of elderly people with gene frequencies of newborns! (Though, before starting that, we would first need a list of the genes that affect height).

Chris, Manchester,

Carolyn,
Many species behave totally differently as juveniles to their normal adult behaviour. Many are gregarious when young but solitary when adults. That doesn't mean that their adult behaviour isn't hardwired - it just means that the early part of their life cycle differs from the latter. How does a social juveniles animal, living in a group 'learn' to be a solitary adult? It's instinct. And is there some evidence that 'heightism is not a learned function?

Bob Finbow, Haverhill, England

Surely nutrition has an impact on the statistics. Do the samples normalise to take into account the differences in average height of different classes?

Dan, London,

I am female and stand 6 foot one 1/2 inches tall.

I love it. I would also love it if I were 5 feet tall.

I did have problems when I was a teenager and everyone told me that I would have problems finding men. I don't - I hold my head up high and get lots of attention. I think it's because I have a friendly, approchable demeanour as I am always in a good mood.

I do get more than average competition at work where people resent the attention I automatically get when I enter a room.

I find that athletic men or men who have had lots of success in business or in their career usually have no problems in approaching me.

MichÃ¨le, zurich, switzerland

I've never liked being with men taller than me (I'm 1m73), I always had the feeling that energy is somehow diluting in their lenght. They need hours to make a decision for instance.... They seem to consider that their height give them a natural authority, that they impress women with this outdated 'I'm gonna protect you, look how I despise danger and rivals'.
Short men have a fightfull spirit, know what they want, are quick to act and excellent lovers on top of that.
This is my point of view for about 20 years now!!!

Isa, Strasbourg, France

I read with interest the comment that the average height of UK women is 5ft 3. If this is the case, then why does the fashion industry consistently cater for mainly taller women? If there are so many of us shorter women around, then why don't far more clothes shops produce a "petite" range? (Taking up a hem is one thing, but you cannot alter a neckline that's too low or a waistline that's in the wrong place).

In addition to the "size zero" debate where fashion models are being accused of being painfully thin, I would also like to know why models are required to be so tall. It's totally unrealistic, and not representative of the general population.

Karen, London, UK

This article is right. Its the 'Saul' effect. Saul was the Biblical king (I make no religious point) who was said to be head and shoulders taller than any other man in Israel. The Israelis chose him cause he looked impressive. For those who don't know, Saul was a rubbish king. It will ever be with height and its an explanation of why in all walks of life, be it business, politics, local government so many appalling leaders exist - someone has been promoted (usually through many tiers) on the basis of looking impressive. Tall people undoubtedly have an easier passage in life but that can produce a very balanced personality which IF coupled to real ability can produce a leader of excellence.
Successful short people do tend to be aggressive (see the article). I have noticed though that its often the case that a tall person resents a successful short person and some tall people clearly despise short people which is odd as no one can claim credit for their height can they?

rowley, reading,

Oh I agree Rachel,from Edinburgh, being tiny and pretty (full name not given so I don't have to be modest) I have never, ever, ever struggled to find admirers. Tall girls stood, bending knees, looking uncomfortable, at the periphery. Cat walk models may be tall and beautiful, but average looking tall women just appear somewhat ungainly and awkward when trying to stoop to the average man's height. Small women boost a small and medium man's ego, and makes no dent on the tall, secure guy's image.
That aside, women can project a personality and, as long as she is not inspecting the bald and the dandruffed from an eagle eye perspective, most men will respond to the personality. ok, that was a touch over the top, most men will respond to a face, the looks, the personality :)

Teeny tiny lovely, London, UK

Citing prehistoric human mindset may sound a good way to explain and normalize the prejudice of height. But aren't all prejudices can be explained away by similar reasons? Discriminations of gender, disability and age all fit your "hunter-gatherer" model. And racist can say that their discrimination is not unreasonable because our ancestors lived in tribes and they didn't trust people with distinctively different features.

Citing survey number doesn't really help either since data doesn't discriminate between cause and affect. It is statistically proved that being black in America will have quite a lot of percentages higher chances of being arrested or imprisoned. Does it therefore prove that ethnicity matters when it comes to crime? And will your suggestion to black people be "if you are black, try playing basketball"?

So why height-ism is so different? Your article doesn't seem have to really answered the question.

Alan Fong, Taipei, Taiwan

From down here, a rather disappointing article, which looked from the front cover like it might actually tackle a prejudice but merely reinforced it. In my experience, my height (4' 11") is much more of an issue for those around me than it is for me, and politeness doesn't usually stop people commenting.

I found the continual linkage of the words 'tall' and 'good-looking' throughout the article, and some of the comments about how I can 'fix' the height issue for the next generation a bit disappointing. Some of us are just petite. I absolutely agree on giving kids the best chance all round through good diet, exercise and sleep, but if my unborn child doesn't top 8lbs, and goes on to exhibit height patterns typical in my family, I won't be rushing off to get them hormone injections.

And to dispel the 'angry short person' image, my husband, 5' 6" and a scientist, thought this was a well-balance and interesting article :)

Barbara Gribbon, Bristol, UK

This is all nonsense. IÂ´d rather be shorter and well proportioned than taller and gangly. A recent article stated that short-legged men were "genetically" better fighters as their centre of gravity is lower; ergo they survived and propogated themselves. In recent times people have shot up without the corresponding proportional development which we still see in Spain.

I am 7 foot three.

Terry Tallarse, Barcelona, Spain

Are the women of malta really shorter than china or the phillapines?

jojo, london,

A friend of my fathers, called Jimmie, went --" over the top" with the "Pals" in his regiment in WW1, 790 out of 1000 men were killed in an hour! Jimmie and his schoolmate made it back without a scratch! "Glad I was small and thin" he said.
Which leads me to wonder just how long John Wayne would have lasted in the real 'wild west.'

DAVID VINTER, Louth, Lincs., UK.

I am a 5'11,woman, the only men who were ever interested in me were shorter than me. I think they liked to look at the bosom department. My lovely husband is 5'8". He always liked tall women but says he never thought any would be interested in him. He calls me his big bird.

Tracey, surrey,

Alan Fong, Macau, China

Bob - not true. Studies of young children show that they do not discriminate on grounds of race or gender. They may 'club together', but it's not until they get old enough to absorb adult prejudices that these 'isms' creep in.

Carolyn, Oxford,

Although there is certainly such a thing as a Napoleonic complex it is worth noting that Napoleon was of average height for a Frenchman of his period and he certainly didn't consider himself to be disadvantaged.

Ian, Frederick , USA MD

Short men make better lovers because they feel they are at a disadvantage and work harder. Tall men have taller egos! I personally like a man I can look in the eyes at without having my head held back. Short men, You rock!

allyson rowen taylor, Los Angeles, CA USA

You didn't mention the statistic that tall women are in fact less likely to get married than shorter women..and that most men's clothes shops make clothes for tall men, but women's usually don't have a "tall" range...it's true!

Why always from the man's perspective?

Rachel, Edinburgh,

George Wee Bush is 5' 11" ?

No way - you have been listening to White House spin.

He can't be - tall men don't swagger.

Ian, Solihull,

Michael Harvey,
Why do you say that heightism is hardwired into all of us but imply that sexism and racism are not? I can think of no experimental evidence that suggests these two latter 'isms' are any less hardwired than is heightism. There is every reason to think that favouring ones own 'tribe' is an evolutionary trait, and treating the sexes differently is, again, almost certainly hardwired. That is probably why, despite draconian laws to eliminate them, both sexism and racism persist

Bob Finbow, Haverhill, England

Surprised to see that notorious underachiever, Italy's richest man, the 5ft 5in, twice former prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi, being missed off the list. He's always being ribbed for being a shorty and wears built-up in-soles to his shoes. A Napoleon for the 21st Century.

Paolo Bagarino, Roma, Italy

I am 5 ft 8 and my partner is around the same height. As he is stocky, rugby player type build and I am a size 8, my height looks amphlified and his even more restricted.

What it seems to me is that height is a matter of context. When we are together I almost never wear high heels for fear of that odd mismatched look. However, when I am at work (I'm a lawyer) and am surrounded by 6 ft tall middle aged men, heels are more or less obligatory to give me any sense of authority.

HOwever when you put my family and his next to each other (my Dad being 6ft1, brother 6ft 2 and Mum 5 ft 10 and his being 5ft 6, sister 5ft 2 and Mum 5ft) it looks a bit like the BFG's meeting the hobbits...

K, Oxford, UK

My mother attributes my brother's and my heights (he is 6'3" and I am 6'4") from breast feeding, and also ---RUN VEGANS-
to several bottles of pure fresh beef broth as well as pureed
meat with all garden fresh veggies. She got this advice not from a nutrionist, but her own food preparer who was said to scare people as a gorgeous Wiccan who found all medicine corrupt and also made skin preparations for my mother and she was wife to a physician and she and my mother look 30 years younger, and neither my brother nor I, have ever had a cavity,broken bones, have 4 male kids who are under 6' (our wives did not buy mother's formula and think she is a little "off" but beautiful even though our kid's have mouths filled with gold and had braces) The squabbles have been endlessly funny through the years and I am 70 and brother 68 and the only thing we have had replaced are a couple of wives...We still get hit on because we are ridiculously handsome.

W.SENNIT FORD, HALF MOON BAY, CALIFORNIA

I'm sure it does effect peoples lives but the way people go on about Tom Cruise having a girlfriend who is slightly taller than him is completely ridiculous.

Mark, Newcastle,