Science Just Found That Tall Men Paired With Short Women Make For The Best Type Of Romance

It seems like a big deal, but there is much evidence to the contrary!

Jenny

• Published in Interesting
• February 5, 2018

Men who are short in height have it rough. You need help reaching things in high up places, you can never see things when you're stuck behind tall people, and you are constantly reminded of your height difference in comparison to others. 

You also have trouble when it comes to dating. There is a stereotype that the man in a relationship must be taller than the woman - and this makes it hard for short men to find women who can overlook this silly societal expectation.  

Unfortunately, this struggle just got even harder for men who are short. This concept has just gone from a societal expectation to a scientific fact. A new study just proved that tall husbands and short wives have the best marriages out of anyone else.

A famous example- the 5'4" Fergie with her 6'4" husband Josh Duhamel.

The study was run by Kitae Sohn from Konkuk University in Seoul, South Korea. It was a survey completely by almost 8,000 adult women, and it found a positive correlation between the husband's height and how happy the wife was. He also found that the bigger the height difference was between the couple, the happier the wife was. Sohn added that this correlation actually dissipates over time and is no longer relevant after the first 18 years of marriage.

They must be so happy - 5'1" Kristen Bell and her 6'2" husband, Dax Shepard.

So, why is this the case? Sohn says that it's just like how humans prefer fatty and salty foods- because that was what kept our ancestors alive and increased their chances at survival. Similarly, women most likely are happier with taller men because from an evolutionary standpoint, this made the man seem more fertile and able to have offspring. He also said that "women evolved to prefer tall men because they were perceived to be stronger- and naturally they are happy when they have what they like."

Lastly- this correlation dissipates after 18 years of marriage. Why? Well, Sohn explains: 

"The wife might get used to her husband’s height and its correlates such as physical attractiveness and strength, or she might lose her characteristics that enabled her to marry her tall husband, such as beauty. The loss could cause her unhappiness directly or indirectly by changing her husband’s behavior, such as showing less affection to her, more affection to other women, and providing less childcare."

Wow- that was quite grim! This just goes to show that even though this is true, in the long term- it doesn't matter. Even more importantly, this study only found a correlation- and correlation does not equal causation. Ie. Being a tall husband does not definitely make a wife happy, just like being a short husband doesn't make a wife unhappy.

Let's combat this sterotype- here is the fabulous 5'4" comedy queen Tina Fey, with her 5' tall husband Jeff Richmond.

5'7" Clare Grant, with her famous 5'4" husband Seth Green.

Lastly... 5'7" Erin Darke with celebrity boyfriend, 5'5" Danielle Radcliffe.

If Harry Potter himself can combat this societal expectation, then it doesn't matter at all!

Jenny