Jealousy, Prejudice, and Short People

Short people tend to be more prone to feelings of inferiority and jealousy, a recent study concluded. The researchers polled more than 500 Dutch and Spanish of both sexes in an effort to determine which characteristics made people uneasy with romantic competitors. They discovered a number of universalities, realizing that men and women viewed money, strength, looks, and charm as threatening. However, feelings of unease and nervousness diminished the taller a person's stature. Jealousy was exacerbated in short people.

In terms of evolution, this makes sense, because women of at least medium height enjoy the best health, popularity, and fertility with men. What's more, taller men more often find success with women, while taller women are more dominant, or so the study said. Yet it's interesting to note that pangs of jealousy still occurred if the perceived rival were taller.

The most recent findings supported similar studies on height and modern culture conducted elsewhere. For example, it's been proven that tall men more quickly climb the rungs of power. In another study, a look at Fortune 500 companies revealed that 58% of the CEOs stood over six feet (169 centimeters), but only 14.5% of the US population was of the same height - adisproportionate number. What's more, taller people received better pay packets than their shorter counterparts, as an inch of height added more than $750 to a person's salary each year.Compounded over a person's lifetime, this would add hundreds of thousands of dollars in earnings.

The prejudice towards shorter people isn't deliberate. The unconscious bias extends to all areas of life, though.