Short Woman, Tall Man: a Scientific Formula for Happiness?

It’s bizarre, and perhaps true. 

Don’t get us wrong, it takes a great deal to build a strong, blissful relationship with your partner.

But a recent study seems to suggest that height difference between couples, could play a part in how happy you are together. In particular, short women are happier with tall men. 

So, maybe Tina Turner should have sang instead, what’s height got to do with it?

Height Difference Between Couples: Women Know What They Want

The perfect love, or height, does not always happen. Chemistry has a lot to do with finding the one, but apparently, so does biology, evolution, and psychology.

Women are, more often than not, shorter than men. It is a genetic effect.

Though sometimes, the atypical happens and you find yourselves in reversed roles, where height is concerned. To each their own!

Preference-wise, it is more than just hypothetical that women prefer taller men. So what gives?

Research demonstrates that when dating, taller men are consistently seen as more attractive by women. Male dating profiles receive better responses online than their shorter peers. 

Not only are the taller ones likelier to attract women, but marriage could also be a probable outcome.

When Short Meets Tall, True Love Blossoms

So women, consciously or subconsciously, are attracted to taller men. But how does this link to happiness and fulfillment?

It’s been studied that taller men are linked to having higher social and economical status in society. They command higher salaries and positions in the workforce.

Perception is king in the world, as they say, and taller men just come across as more trustworthy and capable.

Statistically, the taller the man, the more privileged he is likely to be.

With that in mind, the theory is that if women were to choose taller men, they would have a higher chance of securing a comfortable life.

Biologically, taller men or men with broader stature are perceived to be better protectors to women. It may sound primitive, and, in fact, it is.

Women are literally hardwired to prefer strong, tall men as this was necessary in pre-historic times. Back in time, males had a role of protection for their females partners. The stronger and taller you were, the better chances you had at surviving threats and providing for the family.

It’s true, we’re in 2018, and centuries away from a time where we needed men for “protection”. But, that’s evolution for you.

Is it true that a big height difference between couples equates to more happiness?

The Taller the Merrier, But Is It Ever After?

Money and security can be a lot, but not all. 

Kitae Sohn, an economist and researcher based in South Korea shares his findings based on his study done on large data sets in Indonesia: “Indonesia presents an interesting case because it belonged to the region where the mean height was the shortest in the world over the past two centuries; the population remains one of the shortest populations in the world at present. When tallness is scarce, women may enjoy more happiness from tallness than otherwise.”

The study saw close to 25 thousand participants, with regular data updates.

Since it was established that taller men enjoy higher earnings, could women’s happiness be related to their husbands or partners being financially comfortable?

The answer is yes. But whilst the financial aspects of the questionnaire yielded definite positive results, Sohn finds that a man’s salary cannot entirely determine a link between height and marital happiness.

Plus, his research also observed an interesting fact: Height is an attraction factor but it is by no means permanent.

After close t0 20 years of marriage, the “Mr Tall” charm does wear off.

Sources: 

Lead and featured image: gigiiitheooo

Sohn, K. (2016), Does a taller husband make his wife happier? Personality and Individual Differences, 91, 14–21