Does Male Height Matter? (using research)
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Bingol, H. O., & Basar, O. (2016). Compatibility of mating preferences. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/1604.04783
Giofrè, D., Geary, D. C., & Halsey, L. G. (2025). The sexy and formidable male body: Men’s height and weight are condition-dependent, sexually selected traits. arXiv. https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.23376
Stulp, G., Buunk, A. P., & Pollet, T. V. (2013). Women want taller men more than men want shorter women. Personality and Individual Differences, 55(4), 313–318. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2013.03.013
42 Comments
Sorry if it wasn’t clear. I am not saying this type of selection is healthy or I necessarily agree w it (at least not to an extreme point). I do understand wanting a partner shorter/taller than you and I understand the preference. But I, personally, think wanting someone to fit a very specific criteria may potentially overlook certain barriers in romantic connections. So I am not saying I agree with the idea of someone who is 5 ft wanting only a 6’5 man. I am just sharing information. Not saying this means short(er) man cannot get relationships. I probably should’ve been more careful w this video. I now realize its a more touchy subject than I originally reckoned for. I just look at this more from a data/observation standpoint and sometimes I accidentally overlook something that could potentially be hurtful to others. Was not my intention, just trying to remain factual and neutral
The reason why many men bring up their height is because it is regularly bandied about the internet that women 'only' look for guys above 6', however in my experience it is more common that women tend to prefer a man who is taller than them rather than have a specific minimum.
To add some anecdotal evidence; I'm 5' 11" and my ex is 5' 6". In all of my previous relationships I have always been taller than all of my previous ex's. My eldest son is 6' 2" and his gf is 5' 3". My dad when he was alive was 6' 3" and my mum was 5' 4". So there is, in my "experience" a supposed requirement that women prefer their men to be taller than them.
Where dating apps include a height criteria in their search fields then this can exacerbate potentially false narratives that if you're not 6 foot then you've no chance. When really, if there's a meeting in person then so long as he's taller then his actual height is less relevant and it's more about his personality and potential fit for her ideas around her future.
I remember a lady told me a really specific turn on. She explained it as, "standing behind a guy who's shadow boxing and you can tell he's fast and strong." I think height fits that kind of feeling she was trying to describe.
4:12 Yes, your memory is absolutely correct. That is precisely what happened in the original Dragon Ball series after a timeskip.
Here's the video clip with the timestamp: /watch?v=AGr_UKG1L4Y&t=65s
5'5" here. I wish someone had been honest with me about how much height mattered.
Weight and height aren't nearly the same, weight can be changed. Height can't. A women who refused to eat healthy and keep and shape, shows poor personal responsibility, A women who Judges a man how something he can't control shows poor Judgement.
I tend to prefer women between 5ft-5'6. I also prefer a rounder figure, usually around 150lbs to 230lbs.
I asked my friend who is a man why he put in his dating profile that he only wanted to date women under 4’11”. He said because he couldn’t face all the rejection he would get from women taller than him. I told him to take that off and let the women choose. He ended up dating a woman 5’8” for five years. They matched well in many ways. For myself, I was a plump female so I wanted a taller man to make me feel less big. However, I ended up with a man my height because he said I was beautiful. So as soon as I felt okay about myself, I didn’t care about his height at all. So my opinion is that it’s a self limiting selection that people impose upon themselves to avoid being rejected by people they imagine wouldn’t choose them anyways. To avoid pain. But ultimately that’s not why people choose to stay together. If you can get over the initial disbelief that someone might be attracted to you, maybe you could have a lot more choices.
I don't think anyone's worth, quality, potential or attractiveness is indicated by their stature, height or shoe size. 😊 But I know of a few acquaintances who seem preoccupied with physical characteristics of their partners…those characteristics they prominently use to boast about socially. I often wonder if those physical characteristics actually matter to them or if it is what they think society values…
All women want tall men. It is not about being taller than them. They just want the tallest man available! And now it is even scarier as a woman is not satisfied enough even if she is in a relationshiop with a shorter man.
As a tall guy who likes tall women (5’7” is basically the cutoff for me) I can say that taller women don’t value height as much in my anecdotal experience. But shorter women love taller guys.
I'm 5'7 and I've dated women between 5 feet and 6 feet. Height makes no difference when we're lying down, 😉
However, there are exceptions to this! This is more anecdotal, so take it with a grain of salt. But more than once I have seen women who were with partners significantly taller than them go with guys that were closer to their height later down the road. This is both friends and family. That doesn't invalidate all of the statistical evidence, but it taught me that height doesn't matter as much as people think it does. It's more about those safety/strength variables in the long run. I'd just recommend guys to go to the gym and exercise more because that's all we can really do to work on our physical appearance. (and possibly height too)
To me, more concerning part is stupid conclusions females make. Like what height has to do with more conservative values, success, etc. ? How do they make those conclusions?
Being 6'3 never got me a date. Women like height and will absolutely take it when they can get it, but they care a LOT more about the size of your bank account than the size of your body. So yeah, if she has to pick between two guy making $250k a year, she'll pick the taller guy. If she has to pick between a guy who makes $500k/yr and is 5'7, or a guy who makes $65k/yr and is 6'5, she'll chose the short guy with money.
I Think an Attractive. Face + healthy looking is a Huge Plus , Height. ( in men = power+ status + protection ). is a huge. plus. , Socioeconomic. status , Dynamic. Positive. Social. Personality. is a huge Plus =. friends and network + safty , , AbilIity. to. make. A Lot of money. from a Professional. job. or Multible Income Streams. = Huge Plus. It makes sence. As a Guy. I am. More Attracted to. Feminine,. Pretty., Sexy women. who. are about 6. inches Shorter than me. Physical Attraction, Compatable Personality., intellegence and Chemistry. – ( mysterious ). Matters. Some of this is Primal .
It matters, but doesn’t mean short guys can’t get women. I’m 5’6 and was with someone for 4 years, really the one that got away, that is 6’2 lol and I’m talking to someone rn that’s 5’9. Just be confident and don’t judge everything off social media. That real life interaction hits different
I did not mind rejection then for being short, on top of working minimum wage.
I accepted that life is unfair.
I'm sure they won't mind rejection now for being obese, on top of not making something of themselves after all these years.
They have to accept that life is unfair.
All I'm missing is a pair of Black Stilleto Heels. I'd be 6' 5".
Joking aside. Thanks for providing the research to support this topic.
Weight and fitness matters ALOT
Women like height on man 2:00 like men like woman asses height protect ass and hips child bearing.
It wouldn't be a issue if people didn't make the 6ft a standard. When that happened men generally don't want much to do with girls when they pull that card we will walk away from em.
i can see why evolutionarily speaking why a woman wants a taller man – the perception of being able to garner more resources. it used to be enough that the man was just taller. but with the society as it is in 2025 (capturing all the changes of feminsim to social medai etc) it is far more pronounced. so many women want a height that only 1-2% of men reach. as for women, the weight is factor but I have heard that it is the hip to waist ratio is the evolution equivalent. the thing we are drawn to. Cna't disagree with that. Weight can be changed, that ratio not as much.
It doesn't correlate with weight in women.. i think it correlates more with breast size. A tall guy is like a woman with DD boobs but a guy will still potentially be attracted even if she has small boobs.
Height is important, but it's just one of numerous assets a person can have. Asking whether it matters in finding a partner is like wondering whether a good cover letter will get you the job. The right answer is that it takes more than a cover letter.
Height we can not choose, weight is a sign of gluttony or not having discipline. It’s very different.
It's only an issue if you make it an issue. Only concern yourself with the things you can control.
I'm 5'8 and it never mattered. I never even thought about it until I learned the science.
Thanks for this! For being a shorter guy, I feel that building yourself is so important to build confidence. Working out, being kind and more goes a long way to where the right person will look past height and all
I like your research and the nuance you bring 🙂
the question is not "does height matter" the question should be "if you are short, are you even a man?"
That's definitely an episode of Dragonball you mentioned. Goku grew up.
Body positivity never quite extends to mens height or men in general.
Awesome video My five-year romantic life came to an end a month ago. The decision to break up with the person I love has a big impact on me. Even though my attempts to win him back have been unsuccessful, I can't imagine my life without him. I've tried my hardest not to think about him, but I still find myself missing him and thinking about him a lot. I don't understand why I am saying this here.
short answer: YES
😂😂😂I really love how these "psychology/biomedicine/dating students" make videos on why girls like taller men and keep enforcing a kind of depression in men who were just not genetically gifted, these kind of videos seem more like a kind of thirst bait than some actual productive videos, and it is easy to lure men into these kind of videos and then drop these f bombs, and when you make such comments and then you start fearing whether these men who watch your channel will unsub or not, you start the damage control, this cannot just go away like "i did not realize it is a touchy subject", especially something like that coming from a "psychology" student like you. You try to be like Andrew Huberman but then you realize what you really said and your channel is new, then you press the "Damage Control" button.
I’m 5’10 wearing shoes and thank God I’m average height cuz short kings really live life on hard mode
I hate humans.
Yes
If you have trouble learning what women find hot, read smut…. or at least the summary on the back of the book. It's the most back-pilling experience you'll ever have.
So, is a genetically predisposed man to be short is doomed or has no right to find a partner to engage in a relationship?
Having a good face matters ways more than height. My 2 cents as a 6'2 guy