Americans Prefer Tall Leaders

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Will Tallest GOP Guy Romney Get the Nod?

Americans, like ancient humans, prefer taller leaders

Mitt Romney may win the GOP nomination because he’s tall. According to many studies, his front-runner status for the GOP presidential nomination has nothing to do with his stance on immigration or Social Security. It’s his height.

According to Texas Tech University political science professor, Gregg R. Murray, who participated in a joint study with J. David Schmitz, found Americans tend to elect taller leaders, a preference that dates back to the dawn of the human race.

If Romney, who stands 6-feet 2-inches tall, wins the GOP primary, he may have a slight advantage over the 6-feet 1-inch Barack Obama going into the 2012 election. If Murray is correct, Obama’s success in 2008 because the president if 5 inches taller than John McCain.

Murray told Reuters on Tuesday, In evolutionary times, when people traveled in small groups and people competed for resources, the argument was that, when the leader of the other group was a big guy, the feeling of the group was, ‘Hey, maybe we don’t want to compete with these people for resources.”

The professor said that although though the “irrational response” of taller-is-better for 21st-century leadership selection, a vestige of evolutionary history plays a part in political decisions. Tall men also see themselves as powerful and tend to be compelled towards a leadership role.

Presidents from the late 20^th Century to the present are taller than the average American man—5-feet 9-inches, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bill Clinton and George H.W. Bush are both 6-feet 2-inches; Ronald Reagan was 6-feet 1-inch. Yet George W. Bush, who is approximately 5-feet 11-inches, was shorter than his two opponents—Al Gore at 6-feet 1-inch and John Kerry, 6-feet 4-inches.

Previous studies show taller candidates the popular vote in 68% of the elections between 1789 and 2008, a phenomenon known as the “presidential height index.”

In the first of a two-part study, Murray sampled 467 students from both public and private universities, male and female, from the United States and around the world. He asked the students to draw their concept of a “typical citizen” and an “ideal national leader.” Over 64% drew their “ideal” leader as taller than a citizen.

Murray said, Culture and environment alone cannot explain how a preference for taller leaders is a near-universal trait we see in different cultures today, as well as in societies ranging from ancient Mayans to pre-Classical Greeks, and even animals. He noted the preference for taller leaders reflects an evolved psychological trait, independent of any cultural conditioning.

Murray and Schmitz looked at the data in the context of tribal behavior in earlier societies, such as the Mayans or pre-Classical Greeks. They also studied leadership behavior in the animal world, concluding an evolutionary basis in the preference for taller candidates exists.

The study may the reasons why a woman has never been a U.S. president, according to Murray. Females are on average four inches shorter than males, perhaps that’s why we have trouble making inroads with women in politics.

Although both men and women prefer tall, male leaders, Murray said, the preference does not enter into subconscious decision-making when both candidates are women, or when a man and a woman are running against each other.

Political scientists noticed this trend prior to this study. The taller candidate has been elected president 58% of the time since 6-feet 1-inch George Washington was elected in 1789, Murray said.

In the second study, Murray asked students to evaluate their own leadership potential. The taller respondents had more confidence and that they more likely to run for public office.

Some traits and instincts that may have been acquired through evolution continue to manifest themselves in modern life, seemingly irrationally. He noted his study is the first to be peer-reviewed study to test his height preference hypothesis. The results are published in the journal, Social Science Quarterly

Cal Jillson, a political science professor at Southern Methodist University, said that voters like taller, authoritative candidates such as Romney and fellow Republican hopeful Herman Cain. She said, It’s the short, pudgy guys like Newt Gingrich that tend to have the trouble.

The study might also explain why a woman has never been a U.S. president, according to Murray. Because females are on average four inches shorter than males, perhaps “that’s why we have trouble making inroads with women” in politics, he said.

Russell Riley, presidential scholar at University of Virginia’s Miller Center, said political experts have long known that stature, as well other physical qualities, subconsciously influence voters. He said the height study makes sense in the modern age once voters actually see the candidates together.

Some shorter presidents defy the hypothesis, according to Riley. James Madison was 5-feet-4-inches tall, John Quincy Adams was 5-feet-7-inches. Harry Truman was 5-feet-9-inches and Jimmy Carter was under 5-feet-10 inches. However, the average person was shorter in Madison’s and Adams’ eras.

A candidate’s overall looks also may play into political , according to Riley. He admits the study has validity “when all other things are equal,” but he was hesitant to use the caveman rule to speculate on who might be the Republican nominee.

Mad Mike’s America thanks Reuters and KGO, San Francisco.

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