Short people suffer the indignity of being looked down upon. Because they’re
shorter than others, their credibility often gets overlooked. Short women are
particularly susceptible to interruption and being talked over in meetings. In
order to make up for their lack of height, short people must gesture and
behave with strength, command authority, and demonstrate gravitas. Filling
their space by standing up, holding their arms slightly away from their bodies,
and gesturing with clarity and focus, creates an image of confidence, control,
and commitment.The more subordinate a person feels, the lower he positions his body.When a
student or employee enters your office and you sit while he stands, you’re
demonstrating your power. The commanding officer doesn’t rise when the
junior lieutenant enters the Officers’ Mess.Chapter 12: Territorial Rights and Regulations 209
Think tall
Whether people like to admit it or not, studies
consistently conclude that taller people have
more success, better health, and longer lives than
short people. You look up to a tall person and sub-
consciously place him in a protective role.According to research published in the Journal
of Applied Psychology, a person who is six feet
tall earns, on average, $789 (£400) more per year
than their shorter counterparts.
In addition to their previous studies on the rela-
tionship between height and career success,
University of Florida Professor, Timothy A Judge
and Professor Daniel M Cable of the University
of North Carolina, analysed data from four inde-
pendent projects from the United States and the
UK, following approximately 8,500 participants
from their teens through adulthood.
The research findings show that tall people have
greater self-esteem and social confidence than
shorter people. The tall person is perceived to be
more authoritative and in command.
The physical action of looking up towards some-
one elicits feelings of respect. The person in the
limelight responds with feelings of confidence.
Looking down on another person instils a sense
of superiority on the viewer’s part, and submis-
sion on the person being looked at. The behav-
iour creates the feeling.Not surprisingly, the study showed that the
biggest correlation between height and salary
was in sales and management, areas in which
social interaction is vital for success. If the cus-
tomer perceives the salesperson as tall and
commanding, he follows the salesperson’s lead.
At work, shorter women experience less height
bias than men, a phenomenon that may be a
result of evolution – a view offered by Professor
Judge. He suggests that height was an indica-
tion of power in human’s early days and that,
even though physical stature and prowess
aren’t as relevant today, those evolutionary
appraisals remain. Professor Judge concludes
that, subconsciously, people tend to apply the
power appraisals more to men than to women.The findings provide evidence that, in the same
way as attractiveness, height, as well as weight
and body image, impacts upon interactions and
salaries.