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Many people may think that being a person of short stature is a big disadvantage. In some cases, it may. Yes, you will never be able to get the stuff from the top shelf without a little bit of help; however, there are also a lot of advantages for the human body to being a short person. Check out below for the top 10 advantages of being a person of short stature.
#10. Short stature reduces your risk for cancer
According to a study by the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, your likelihood to develop cancer goes up the taller you are. In fact, for men, the for every 3.9 inches in height risk goes up by 11% for men and 18% for women.[1]The Telegraph – The five surprising health benefits of being short In addition, they found that the susceptibility to skin cancer was increased by 30% for people above average height.
In the study, data came from over 5.5 million people over a 50 year period. The heights for the participants ranged from 3ft 3 in to 7ft 6in.
While they are not exactly sure as to why this correlation exists, Dr. Emelie Benyi, the head of the study says that “One [of the reasons] is that taller people have a larger number of cells in their body,” she says, “which could potentially transform to cancer. It could also be that taller individuals have a higher energy intake which has previously been linked to cancer.”
#9. Short Stature reduces your likelihood to develop blood clots
One of the biggest advantages of being a person of short stature is that you are less likely to develop blood clots. In fact, according to research by Dr. Sigrid Braekkan at the University of Tromso in Norway taller people are two and a half times more likely to develop venous Thromboembolism (VTE).[2]NCBI – Hematocrit and risk of venous thromboembolism in a general population. The Tromsø study
The study showed that if you were a man taller than 5ft 8in, you were 2.57 times more likely to develop blood clots. According to Dr. Braekkan, “in tall people, the blood must be pumped a longer distance by the calf muscle pump” which “may cause reduced flow in the legs and thereby raise the risk of clotting.”
#8. Short stature means you are likely to live longer
One of the biggest advantages of being a person of short stature is that you will actually live longer. In fact, Dr. Armand Leroi discovered that the hormone which controls height also controls aging.
In addition, research by Tom Samara shows that for every extra inch of height, your life expectancy goes down by around 1.2 years. Samara says that “Most people believe that being taller and heavier is a sign of higher social status and privilege…however, an objective evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of increased body size (excluding obesity) indicated that shorter, smaller bodies have numerous advantages in terms of health and longevity.”[3]nutrition and health – How height is related to our health and longevity: A review
#7. Short stature make you look younger
If everything that you have already is not enough to convince you that being a person of short stature has a lot of advantages, one of the biggest advantages of being a short person is that you also look younger.
One of the best examples of this can be seen in youth obsessed Hollywood. In fact, in a list of the Oldest Actors to Play Teenagers on the big screen, they were all under 5ft 6in.[4]offbeat home & life – Does my “petite woman” stature mean I’ll never be seen an adult?
- Michael J. Fox – 5ft 5in
- Henry Winkler – 5ft 6 in
- Gary Burghoff – 5ft 6in
- Gabrielle Carteris – 5ft 1in
- Stockard Channing – 5ft 3in
When going to the Silver screen, we see the same thing.
- Salma Hayek – 5ft 2in
- Jack Black – 5ft 6in
- Hilary Duff – 5ft 2in
- Seth Green – 5ft 4in
- Dustin Hoffman – 5ft 5in
- Jennifer Love Hewitt – 5ft 3in
- Eva Longoria – 5ft 2in
- Sarah Jessica Parker – 5ft 3in
#6. Short Stature makes you less likely to encounter stressful situations
One of the biggest advantages to being a person of short stature is that you are less likely to be stressed and be in stressful situations. In fact, according to a 2014 New York University study, married men below 5ft 7in are 32% less likely to divorce.[5]the National Bureau of Economic Research – From Assortative to Ashortative Coupling: Men’s Height, Height Heterogamy, and Relationship Dynamics in the United States
According to the author of the study, Abigail Weitzman, this is most likely due ot the fact that “the courtship process takes longer for shorter men on average” therefore leading “short men…enter[ing] marriage…on more solid ground.”
Lastly, counter to the idea of “Small Man Syndrome”, short people are less likely to get into fights than taller people. Overall this leads to less situations of stress.
#5. Short stature puts you at lower risk of heat exhaustion or sun stroke
One of the best times to be a person of short stature is in a hot climate. In fact, according to research by Tom Samaras, short people are less likely to suffer the bad effects of the sun such as heat exhaustion or sun stroke.
According to Samaras, “The advantage of tall people keeping warmer in cold weather becomes a disadvantage in hot weather…thus, in a hot environment, the shorter person’s surface area in proportion to body heat generated at rest allows him/her to lose heat more readily than taller people of similar body builds.”[6]healthline – Do You Have Heat Stroke or Heat Exhaustion? Learn the Signs In other words, the taller person has more body to get hot.
#4. Due to your short stature, information travels to your brain faster
One of the most interesting advantages to being a person of short stature is that you get information sent to your brain quicker. According to studies by neurologist David Eagleman, taller people experience a slowed down version of the world. In fact, they experience the sensory data from their ears, eyes, skin, and tongue around 1/10 of a second slower than short people.[7]The Health Site – 4 health advantages of being a short person you didn’t know about!
The reason behind this, is that taller people have longer neural pathways from their sensory preceptors to their brain. Therefore, they tend to being living behind time compared to shorter people.
#3. Short stature builds character
One of the advantages to being a person of short stature is that you are more likely to be socially aware. According to studies by Stephan Hall, this is especially important in developing boys as they become men. Hall says that “You pay attention to the changing weather of conversations and situations. You become a good listener and a better analytical thinker. You acquire a social skill set that would have been impossible to acquire if you were a hulking member of the teenage altocracy who always got his way.”[8]npr – The Short List: 5 Advantages To Being Diminutive
This can also be seen in Darwin’s theory of evolution. In fact, Darwin said that humans had to develop social skills due to the fact that we were smaller and weaker than other animals.
#2. Short people have more leg room
One of the greatest advantages of being a person of short stature is that you automatically have more leg room. This is true for both cars and planes. With most airlines only having around 30 to 32 inches of leg room, most people are quite cramped.[9]Business Insider – Here’s a guide to how much legroom you get on America’s airlines If you are a short person, that is more than enough room to spread out. You will never have to upgrade from economy class to have a lot of leg room. In addition, if you are bringing a small hypoallergenic dog with you, there is plenty of room to fit it under the chair in front of you!
This can save you a lot of money. For example, a flight on United Airlines from New York to Denver can cost $150 one way in economy. In fact, if you just want to bump up to Economy Plus with a couple extra inches of space, tack on $100 to that ticket. That is about an increase of 160%.[10]Frommer’s – Is Economy Plus Really Worth the Price?
#1. Short stature = more sex!
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