Height discrimination

Height discrimination (also known as heightism) is prejudice or discrimination against individuals based on height. In principle, it refers to the discriminatory treatment against individuals whose height is not within the normal acceptable range of height in a population. Various studies have shown it to be a cause of bullying, commonly manifested as unconscious microaggressions.[1][2] Modern Western height discrimination originated in 19th century eugenic, Social Darwinist, and white supremacist movements, beginning with eugenicist Sir Francis Galton's observation of the correlation of human height between parents and offspring.[3][4][5] These movements promulgated pseudoscientific beliefs about the superiority of larger male stature, most grotesquely embodied by the Nazi height ideals within the social construct of the Aryan master race.[6]

Research indicates that people often use height as heuristic proxy to judge social status and fitness, regardless of its accuracy. In related studies, men have been found to be more strongly judged based on height than women.[7][8][9]

  1. ^ Judge, Timothy A.; Cable, Daniel M. (2004). "The Effect of Physical Height on Workplace Success and Income: Preliminary Test of a Theoretical Model". Journal of Applied Psychology. 89 (3): 428–441. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.89.3.428. PMID 15161403.
  2. ^ Persico, Nicola; Postlewaite, Andrew; Silverman, Dan (October 2004). "The Effect of Adolescent Experience on Labor Market Outcomes: The Case of Height" (PDF). Journal of Political Economy. 112 (5): 1019–1053. doi:10.1086/422566.
  3. ^ "Physical and Intellectual Measurement". Eugenics Archive. DOLAN DNA LEARNING CENTER, COLD SPRING HARBOR LABORATORY. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  4. ^ "Eugenics: Its Origin and Development (1883 - Present)". National Human Genome Research Institute. National Human Genome Research Institute. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  5. ^ Stigler, Stephen (May 1989). "Francis Galton's Account of the Invention of Correlation". Statistical Science. 4 (2): 73-79. Retrieved 26 May 2025.
  6. ^ Stein, George (1966). Hitler's Elite Guard: The Waffen SS, 1939 - 1945 (First ed.). Ithaca, New York: Cornell U.P. ISBN 978-0-80140-407-8.
  7. ^ Blaker, Nancy M.; Rompa, Irene; Dessing, Inge H.; Vriend, Anne F.; Herschberg, Channah; van Vugt, Mark (January 2013). "The height leadership advantage in men and women: Testing evolutionary psychology predictions about the perceptions of tall leaders". Group Processes & Intergroup Relations. 16 (1): 17–27. doi:10.1177/1368430212437211.
  8. ^ Stulp, Gert; Buunk, Abraham P.; Verhulst, Simon; Pollet, Thomas V. (26 February 2015). "Human Height Is Positively Related to Interpersonal Dominance in Dyadic Interactions". PLOS ONE. 10 (2): e0117860. Bibcode:2015PLoSO..1017860S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0117860. PMC 4342156. PMID 25719490.
  9. ^ Blaker, Nancy M.; Van Vugt, Mark (2014). "The Status-Size Hypothesis: How Cues of Physical Size and Social Status Influence Each Other". The Psychology of Social Status. pp. 119–137. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-0867-7_6. ISBN 978-1-4939-0866-0.

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