Posted on 09/10/2009 10:16:51 AM PDT by AreaMan
Taller people appear to live happier lives, according to a new study.
Researchers conducted a phone survey among more than 454,065 adults aged 18 and older between January 2008 and April 2009.
Participants were asked to give their height as well as answer questions about their standard of living.
Writing in the journal Economics and Human Biology, researchers said they used the Cantril "self-measuring striving scale", which allows participants to describe their quality of life through imagining a “life ladder” with rungs numbered from zero to 10 at the top.
The top rung is associated with the “best possible life for you” and the bottom rung is the “worst possible life for you”.
Researchers found that taller people reported being more happy with their life than those who were shorter.
Men who were taller than 5ft 10in ranked themselves at an average of 6.55 on the ladder scale. Men who were below average height, ranked themselves at an average of 6.41.
Among women, those who were taller than an average height of 5ft 4in ranked themselves 6.64, compared to 6.55 in shorter women.
Researchers also noted that men and women who were above average in terms of height were more likely to report overall happiness and less likely to report sadness.
"Surprisingly people who say that their lives are the 'best possible' are slightly shorter on average than those who are a step or two below,” Angus Deaton from Princeton University told BBC News.
"Perhaps the 8 percent of people who think their lives cannot be improved are different in other respects."
Additionally, they found that taller men reported worrying less.
"There's no direct correlation between income and happiness - surveys going back years show that,” psychologist Dr Colin Gill told BBC Health.
"But there does appear to be a correlation between height and happiness and height and income.
"If you look at this study, the people who are happiest are not the very tallest. There is a threshold of height tolerance - at about 6ft 5in to 6ft 6in.
"Height does matter, it's always mattered for a very obvious reason - when you are born you are shorter than the people who look after you and have authority over you,” he added. “And that power relationship never reverses."
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I had a photo taken with Penn during their Refrigerator Tour, on my birthday coincidentally.
He looks me in the eye and says “Tall guy, huh”.
My husband’s 7’2” cousin once had a T-shirt made that said, “I LIKE short people. I had two for lunch.”
I think another one said, “Yes, I play basketball.”
Sometimes.
Not always.
I suspect that men who are erect are happier.
I knew a 7’6” guy with a “Yes, I play basketball” T-Shirt, although he wasn’t that good.
Saves a fortune of knee pads.
I am 6’3” and am generally happy with my size but there are times such as sitting in an airline seat where I would gladly be 5”6”.
Also, I’m not worried about being shanghaied to go bake cookies in Keebler’s Hollow Tree sweatshop.
very funny 5’1’ here.
And always led the school line because we were lined up shortest to tallest. Became a born leader because of my prominence in being small. Also spend many years as a cute armful.
Remember that was written before Prozac was widely available.
:-}
I stopped using my turn signal in Utah. I found that it is the best way to guarantee that nobody lets you in.
While living in Albania, I was much taller and bigger than the average male there (5’11”, 180lbs). They would always ask, “Do you play basketball?”, to which I would reply, “yes”. They would then say, “Oh, that’s why you’re so tall!”
To them you grew tall because you played basketball, not that you played basketball because you were tall. Of course, in high school I was the third shortest player on varsity.
Where did you find him? Fun house mirror??? Too funny. (I though better of my comment. I hope he’s not a relative or close friend, so please take my comment in the kindest possible way.) ;-)
I would gladly trade a few hours of discomfort in exchange for being 6'3"
Pain (discomfort) is temporary...being short sucks all the time.
ITSSSS MMMMEEEEEEEEEE......(cry cry cry)
I think this reallu only applies to most men....not so much women. The blonde thing applies to women.
Men, generally speaking, like women. Tall women, short women...whatever. They like women.
I’ll never believe that, so dry those crocodile tears and be HAPPY!!!!
I am tall and for some reason have always been attracted to petite blonde girls or ones with light brown hair. The two hottest girls I have ever dated were 5’ and 5’1” tall. Both were sweet as could be and had great figures.
Now that doesn’t mean I don’t also like tall ones with any color hair if they are pretty.
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