Igniting the debate: Size isn't everything!!!

Tall men get short shrift as husbands

By Fiona MacRae
August 17, 2005

TALL, dark and handsome is the classic description of the perfect man.But when it comes to perfect husbands, shorter men stand head and shoulders above the rest, a study has found.

Women regard taller men as excellent for a fling but see short men as better companions to settle down with.

This could explain why Nicole Kidman married Tom Cruise, who at 170.2cm is 10cm shorter than her. But she only ever dated the 190cm Steve Bing. Or why Penny Lancaster, a rangy 180cm plus, chose the shorter Rod Stewart as her husband-to-be.

So did his 183cm ex-wife, Rachel Hunter, although she only had a fling with 185cm Robbie Williams.

Researchers believe women looking for the thrill of an affair or hoping to become pregnant tend to find taller men more desirable. Their height is a sign of their masculinity and their ability to father healthy children.

"Taller men have higher social status, earn more and are at lower risk from illness," said anthropologist Dr Boguslaw Pawlowski of the University of Wroclaw in Poland.

"They also have better reproductive success."

However, the benefits quickly wear off, along with the initial attraction.
Evolutionary psychologist Nick Neave said: "You don't want to be surrounded by these guys all the time.

"The guys who are real leaders of the pack tend to not be very nice people. You don't want them around kids, they can be violent and leave you for someone else," Dr Neave said.

"If they are very handsome and very desirable there will be lots of other women competing for their attention.

"For a short-term relationship, you want somebody you are sexually attracted to, they don't have to be the best to get on with."

The scientists also looked at how women's fertility affected their choice of mate. They found that at the time of the month when women are most fertile, they were more attracted to taller men.

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So Tim and Ashby, you still got game cause "Women regard you as better for a fling" and have "better reproductive success" hahaha. But what about for the generic short Asian male? Well I don't know how true this study is, since I know a lot of tall males in relationships with shorties (no pun intended).