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Shorter people 'have a chip on their shoulder which makes them unhealthy'
Last updated at 08:07am on 18.10.07
No big deal: At 5ft, Danny DeVito is well below average height
Those not blessed with height are often accused of having a chip on their shoulder.
Now a study has found that they might, in fact, have an unhealthy attitude to life.
Short men and women apparently complain of poorer mental and physical health than those of an average height.
Researchers examined more than 14,000 responses to the 2003 Health Survey for England.
The subjects had given details of their height, weight, age, gender, long-standing illness and social class.
They were then asked to rate their health on a range of indicators such as mobility, pain and depression.
Those in the shortest height category - men shorter than 5ft 4in and women shorter than 5ft - reported much poorer health, according to the report in the journal Clinical Endocrinology.
The survey did not ascertain how healthy they actually were, just how well they thought they were.
Lead researcher Dr Torsten Christensen said: "Using this large and nationally representative sample of the UK population, we found shorter people report that they experience lower physical and mental well-being than taller people do.
"Our results also indicate that the shorter someone is, the stronger this relationship becomes."
She added that an increase in height of one inch would have a positive impact on the healthrelated quality of life of a short person, whereas the effect of an extra inch would be negligible for a person of normal height.
Dr Christensen found that short people would have a 6 per cent higher health rating if they were around three inches taller.
This is the equivalent to the health benefit experienced by an obese person losing two and a half stones.
Dr Christensen, of Danish healthcare company Novo Nordisk, added: "We know that people who are short experience more difficulties in areas of their life such as education, employment and relationships than people of a normal height.
"Although our study does not show that short height directly causes a reduction in physical and mental health, it does indicate that short people are more likely to feel that they experience a lower healthrelated quality of life."
She added: "Further research is now needed to clarify the precise relationship between changes in height and health-related quality of life."
Short height in adult life can either be due to normal development or can be caused by a number of diseases such as growth hormone deficiency and Turner syndrome.
Treatment with growth hormone for children with these conditions can increase their final height by as much as four inches.
The study shows that these height increases could have a huge positive effect on a person's mental wellbeing once they grow up.
Reader views (13)
I believe that being short is a problem that other people have with shorter people - not short people themselves. I have been shorter than most for 63 years (5ft 3ins now) and don't generally have an issue with it unless it becomes someone else's problem. Trevor Roll is a perfect example of this.
- Dave, Blackpool, England.
It seems weird that most people refer to a short person's attitude as a Napoleon complex. Napoleon was 5'7" and well above average height for people of his time. People's perception of height is much more of a factor than actual height.
- Paul, Chicago, IL
Actually, research has shown that shorter women have better luck in relationships than taller ones. Shortness in women indicates fertility (they reach puberty quicker than taller women), which men instinctively find attractive. Makes me glad I'm 4'11"!
Also, I think this shoulder-chip is just a stereotype. People seem to think that all short people are bitter. I'm not bitter at all, and I've known lots of short people and only ever found one of them to be bitter and angry about their height.
- Tess, UK
Being short isnt the end of the world.I have not got a chip on my shoulder and yes tall people are mainly arrogant.I am 56 years old and barely 5'0 tall my wife is 5'6 and i run my own business.I have alot of tall guys working for me and they think all the time there is a promotion i am gonna promote them because they expect it.No i dont work like that when a short guys and a tall guy goes for the job 9/10 a short guy will get it.Has they work alot better than the other guy.
I have 2 sons and a daughter now sadly for my sons they got my height so they are both 5'2 and 5'4 whereas our daughter she got my wifes height she
- Lewis Curren, Essex England
Does this study reflect on adults only, and im not gonna judge this because everyone has a biast point of a view on it. Im 15 and im like 5'4 and I dont have a "chip" on my shoulder. i dont really understand what this is proving, the unhealthy thing is bull****, Mr. DeVito clearly has a bit of dwarfism in his family so is this little study only talking about dwarfs? And if it is then.....well seems like a bunch of dumb people are trying to state the obvious...
- Christian, Victoria Canada
My erstwhile despicable lazy friend Andy, who is 4' 6" short and with a shoe size of 13, had a typical short mans attitude, being jealous, up-tight, crabby, forever having health problems and would ponce or steal from me at the nearest opportunity. Even his wife (5' 7" tall) who he regularly bullied left him for someone her own height.
P.S. I am 6' 4".
- Peter., Cambs
I think this report is rubbish. I am 5'4" and am married with 3 children. Life is good. I have a successful career as well. I think some taller people expect me to have an inferiority complex because I am "short." I do not have this inferiority, and this doesn't meet people's expectations. The inevitable "Napoleon" complex comments soon follow; like Trevor's thinking.
- Dennis, London
Being 5' 5" myself, I have experienced some of the problems associated with small stature. The "chip on the shoulder" accusation comes from our reaction to very real prejudices against short people. For instance, I was denied the opportunity to interview with a job with IBM in 1958 because they had a 5' 8" height requirement. Nevertheless, I have coped with being short for 68 years and have a very good life, physically, emotionally, and financially. Eventually, people forget your height when you prove to be capable and helpful. I was in sales all my life and had no problems succeding.
- Robert Taylor, United States
Rubbish. My wife is 6' and I am 5'6". Married 25 years and everyday is better.
- Mike, Raleigh NC
And they tend to be short-tempered, as well!
- James Deppeler, Brielle, New Jersey, USA
Not being the biggest of chaps, and not having a chip at all, tall people can be very arrogant!
- Stuart, UK
Did you know on average shorter people are richer though.
But saying that this article is no surprise, for short men we have to grow up with the image of a man has to be 'tall, dark and handsome'. I'm sure if they did a survey against size 8 woman and size 14 woman you would find similar trends, but I bet no one would say the size 14 woman has a "chip on her shoulder".
- Ben, London, UK
Ah, yes, good old short man syndrome, the propensity to be so belligerent about ones own height that you feel obliged to start fights with anyone taller than you, I know quite a few sufferers.
- Trevor Roll, London
