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The Dutch are tall. Thanks to our wealth, genes and good health, we even have the tallest population in the world. The average Dutch man is 1.81 meters tall , while the average Dutch woman is 1.67 meters tall. Men are (almost) 14 centimeters taller than women in the Netherlands.
Based on these statistics, it is not surprising to discover that most men are taller than women. And if you were to look around you, you would see that in most couples, the man is usually the tallest. In fact, relationships in which the woman is significantly taller are quite rare. In 1 in 100 couples, the woman is taller than the man. But why?
When it comes to finding a partner, men and women tend to look for someone their own height. People look for things they have in common. This is called assortative mating . But that does not apply to height, because both men and women have a strong preference for shorter and taller. Women prefer a taller man, while men prefer slightly shorter women.
It’s not just a preference, it’s also a dealbreaker that’s visibly present on dating apps. Anyone who’s been on dating apps knows that you can be rejected if you don’t meet someone else’s height requirements . Your height can increase… or decrease your chances of finding love.
Why Women Fall for Tall Men
The theory is that women unconsciously prefer tall men for evolutionary reasons. If it comes to a fight, taller men have an advantage over their shorter opponents. Height is also, as we said, associated with good genes, which evolutionary psychology suggests women look for when they want to reproduce. And taller men probably had a better chance of finding food when they were hunters.
Although men no longer go out with their bows and arrows and women pay attention to different characteristics than they did many centuries ago, a man’s height is still important. Because taller men generally have a number of advantages over their shorter counterparts. For example, studies say this about tall men:
- Tall men are likely to be more educated .
- Tall people have more status, prestige and leadership .
- Tall men earn more than their shorter colleagues.
- Taller people are happier and enjoy life more.
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Women find height more important than men
For women, taller men tend to have a bit more sex appeal . This was proven in a 2013 study from the University of Groningen that examined the height preferences of men and women. Researchers from the Dutch university tried to understand who prefers whom when it comes to height.
A group of 650 first-year heterosexual psychology students were asked to complete a survey. They were asked questions about their relationship status, the height of their partners, how satisfied they were with their own height, and their satisfaction with the height of their partners. Based on the answers, the researchers came to a discouraging conclusion for short men.
In general, women are more likely than men to think that a man should be (much) taller. In fact, women tend not to enter into a relationship with a man who is shorter than themselves. Men prefer to be taller than their partner, but the difference in height does not interest them as much as women, the study shows.
According to the study, men are most satisfied with women who are slightly shorter—about 3 inches. Women, on the other hand, are most satisfied when they are much shorter than the man—about 8.5 inches.
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Taller men receive more messages
So height matters to both men and women, but usually in opposite directions. According to research from the University of Chicago and MIT, taller men get more messages. The taller they are, the more messages women send them. For women, it’s the other way around.
For example, men who are 1.92 to 1.95 meters tall receive about 60% more messages on first contact than men who are 1.74 to 1.77 meters. In contrast, the ideal height for women is around 1.62 to 1.77 meters, while taller women receive fewer and fewer messages. For example, the average tall woman of 1.80 meters receives a whopping 40% fewer messages than a woman who is 1.68 meters.
Length does matter
A study from Rice University and the University of North Texas published the following year confirmed that the height of a potential partner is more important to women than to men.
The researchers conducted their study in two parts . For the first experiment, they looked at the dating preferences of men and women using data from 925 dating ads – 455 of which were men and 470 of which were women. By asking these people questions, the researchers were able to determine their height preferences.
Based on the answers, the researchers concluded that 14 percent of men wanted to date only shorter women. But for women, this was completely the other way around: almost half (48.9 percent) of women only wanted to date men who were taller than themselves. In the second experiment, the researchers asked open-ended questions to find out more about the reasons behind their preferences.
“As a girl, I like to feel vulnerable and safe at the same time. It just feels weird when I think about looking ‘down’ into my man’s eyes,” said one female participant. “There’s also something to be said about being able to wear high heels and still be shorter. I also want to be able to hug him with my arms up and around his neck.”
Men who participated in the study were much less likely to say that height mattered. And those who did, they preferred shorter women. But not so short that it would cause problems with physical intimacy .
“I like it when a partner’s body matches yours,” said another 6-foot-1 male participant. “It also makes it easier to kiss, hold hands, and do other activities with your partner.”
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5 Benefits of Being a Taller Man
There are women who don’t care. They don’t care how tall someone is. But in general, women do have a preference for taller men. Women seem to fall for taller men because they can make them feel different than shorter men. But what exactly makes a tall body so attractive? Here are 5 advantages a taller man has over a shorter man.
1. It looks more masculine
The taller the man, the more masculine he is, or so the thinking goes. Although this is of course not true, it is a reason why women prefer tall men.
2. It makes them feel safe
There is no exact explanation as to why this is, but women feel safer with tall men. Probably because they think taller men are stronger and can therefore protect them better.
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3. It makes them feel feminine
As one of the female participants said, women feel more vulnerable around a tall man. These men can give women that inexplicable feminine feeling.
4. It seems more confident
Women often assume that taller men are more confident than shorter men. Of course taller men are more confident that they can reach the highest shelves, but does that also apply to other aspects of life?
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5. It seems more powerful
Women like to literally look up to a man. It gives women the idea that the man has more authority. Tall men seem more powerful, as if they have more authority, which has also been proven in studies in the workplace.
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