Many people insist that “height doesn’t matter” when it comes to love, but research suggests that stature does subtly shape romantic preferences. A recent international study published in Frontiers in Psychology examined how height affects attraction in different countries and relationship contexts.
The study involved 536 participants from Canada, Cuba, Norway, and the United States, exploring how men and women perceive potential partners’ height for short-term flings versus long-term relationships. To remove distractions like facial features or clothing, researchers used minimalist illustrations of men and women in varying heights. Participants then selected which pairings they found most appealing.
The results were consistent across countries and age groups. Men tended to prefer women slightly shorter than average, while women leaned toward men slightly taller than average. On average, men chose women about 2.5 centimeters shorter than the national average, and women preferred men about 2.3 centimeters taller. Small differences, but strikingly consistent patterns.
Why might men favor slightly shorter women? Evolutionary theory suggests shorter stature can signal youthfulness and femininity, traits historically linked to reproductive fitness. Socially, shorter women are sometimes seen as nurturing or approachable, and cultural norms often reinforce traditional gender dynamics, encouraging men to appear taller or more dominant.
