Human height is positively related to interpersonal dominance in dyadic interactions.

ABSTRACT: Across cultures, taller stature is linked to increased social status, but the potential reasons why this should be are unclear. One potential explanation is that taller individuals are more likely to win a dyadic confrontation with a competitor (i.e., they are more dominant), which leads to higher social rank. Although some previous studies have shown that perceptions of status or dominance are related to height, and are therefore consistent with such an explanation, there is surprisingly little research testing whether height actually has any influence on the behavioural outcomes in real-life social interactions. Here, we present three naturalistic observational studies demonstrating that height predicts interpersonal dominance during brief dyadic interactions. Study 1 investigated the li

SUBMITTER: Stulp G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4342156 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature