Interestingly, size does matter to your average income. A well cited study found that for every 2.5cm’s in height, a person earns an estimated NZ$2000 more a year!
The study also found that a whopping 58% of male CEOs of Fortune 500 companies were six feet (183cms) or taller, compared to just 14.5% of the general male population. There was no correlation to intelligence. It seems that the ‘perception of leadership’ suggests taller individuals are often perceived as more authoritative and competent.
More recently it seems size mattered to Donald Trump who told an interviewer his height was 6 foot 4 inches. But he officially listed his height in Whitehouse records as 6 foot 3 inches. However, his 2023 arrest record had him as 6 foot 2 inches.
In the famous historic confrontation of David and Goliath, the Dead Sea Scrolls listed David’s height as 165cm and Goliaths as 2.06 meters (6 foot 9 inches). Goliath’s body armour weighed 57 kilos and his spear’s iron tip weighed 6.8 kilos, so the guy was very strong.
In the late 1990’s Club Physical found that sized mattered to the NZ media. We heard that Mr Olympia, Sergio Oliva was coming in for a workout at what was then our St Lukes Club. Sergio, a Chicago Police Officer, had said that he was OK with media being informed. I made haste on faxing the media about his intended workout and boldly headed it, ‘The World’s Biggest Policeman will be training at Club Physical at 10am!’. True to form, both Television Three AND the NZ Herald turned up less than two-hours later. The media likes ‘extremes’. Sergio had the nickname, ‘The Myth’. His biceps measured 57cms, waistline 69cms and chest 150cms. The word was that he garnered great ‘respect’ on the beat.
Does training in the gym make you more successful? Well-documented research show that muscular, fit men are often perceived as more disciplined (probably true), competent and of high status. Other studies have shown that men with greater upper-body strength were perceived as having more social status. Similarly, numerous studies confirm that women prefer men with moderate to high muscularity, especially for short-term relationships.
How do things differ in the animal kingdom? For the largest land animal, the African Elephant, size is a massive advantage. Few predators dare attack adults. Whereas, by contrast, the tiny size of the male Anglerfish (females are 60 times larger!) is a successful survival strategy in a vast ocean where mates are rare. These tiny males attach themselves to the female’s body, fuse into her bloodstream and become permanent sperm donors.
In summary, if you are a guy, even though you might not be as tall as others, it seems research supports the fact that you will earn greater mana and respect in society if you can ‘walk tall’, and look physically fit, capable and strong.
Watch this clip featuring Sergio Oliva:
Pic: Tina at Club Physical with US Super-star body builder, Jonny DeAngeles 1994
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