King of America: Short Man Syndrome
Post Disclaimer: I am 6′5”, but actually believe that I may suffer from a version of short man syndrome myself. I tend to be competitive and aggressive and occasionally assault tall men, because, “they were judging me.”
For years I have noticed that people who are short or were short when they were young are often much more aggressive than the rest of the human population. My theory was always that short people (men especially) are more aggressive because they feel a need to “prove” themselves to their taller peers.
People throughout history have noticed that short men are significantly more likely to be jealous and angry and aggressive than tall people are. Older civilizations had a different name for “Short Man Syndrome”- “The Napoleon Complex”. Both are terms that describe an inferiority complex that physically short men have. Other terms for short man syndrome include “small man syndrome”, “little man issues”, “child molestor” and “little demon creature”. Some of those may be more scientifically accurate than others.
Many historical figures are alleged to have had short man syndrome- Napoleon Bonapart
e, Mussolini, Attila the Hun, Stalin among many of history’s most loathed men. Could their short man syndrome have driven them to commit atrocities and have a drive for absolute power? Is short man syndrome a factor in life?
Recent and old scientific studies, along with piles of anecdotal evidence seem to indicate that yes, short man syndrome is a major factor in human society. Researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands recently carried out a study to find out how short man syndrome affects relationships. Participants were asked to rate themselves on how jealous they were on a scale from “not jealous at all” to “morbidly jealous”. The study participants were also asked how interested their partners were in members of the opposite sex. The results showed that the shorter men were FAR more likely to be jealous than the tall men. Researcher Dr. Abraham Buunk said, “Taller men tended to be less jealous, and the tallest men were the least jealous.” In contrast, “the very short and very tall women tended to be more jealous and women of average height were the least jealous.”
Another study with more participants (about 400) was done afterwards and once again the shortest men were the most jealous on a sliding scale up to the tallest men. The researchers thesis is that their findings reflect insecurities among people who are not society’s targeted height.
I can understand why short men have short man syndrome. The world at large seems to have a very strong unconscious bias towards taller people.
Research studies have shown that the taller a man is significantly more likely to make more money, have more
children, have more sexual partners and get more replies to dating advertisements than are shorter men. According to Malcolm Gladwell, the average CEO on the Fortune 500 list is 3” taller than the average American male. This statistic actually way understates what is actually going on- 58% of CEO’s on the Fortune 500 list are over six feet tall, while the American population average is 14.5%. As you continue to even taller heights, you find that the bias for tall people increases further. 3.9% of the American populace is over 6′2”, whereas 30% of CEO’s are over 6′2”. Short men have very good reason to be more aggressive and jealous than their taller peers- people automatically judge them as inferior. Other studies have shown that on average, each additional inch in height for a man gives him an additional $789 a year in income. If you take this over a 40 year lifetime of work 
and compare the difference between the average 6′6” man and the average 5′5” man, this adds up to hundreds of thousands a year of additional income. Also, in almost every presidential election in American history, the taller man has won over the short man. George W. Bush is a rare exception; but he still got less votes than the taller Al Gore. People love tall men.
I have questions about the correlation between height and success in life. Is it causative? Does being taller mean you probably have better genes and thus are more likely to be successful in life? Or is it simply a genetic prejudice held over from the days when big men were more likely to survive than shorter men? I don’t know. It may also have to do with nutrition: people who receive better nutrition at a young age have been shown to be more intelligent and grow taller than those who don’t. What do you, my readers, think? 
Short man syndrome has been something that annoyed me my whole life. Shorter guys are always trying to prove they are better at me at whatever stupid activity we are doing. Sometimes I just want to play a simple game of horse without a short guy getting all heated. Since I’ve shown that there is a real cause for short man syndrome and that short man syndrome exists in everyday life, is there anything we can do about it?
Is there a cure for Short Man Syndrome? Has Short Man Syndrome caused more suffering than, say, cancer or AIDs? What is the Center for Disease Control (CDC) doing to combat short man syndrome?!
We cannot let the short man syndrome outbreak continue to spread… look at what it has done to the poor victim pictured at right.
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Why don’t we do this in America?
Like my cheesy pic? :) 
December 29th, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Short Man Syndrome… still a very entertaining blog post!
December 28th, 2008 at 8:16 am
Maybe short guys are better then tall guys, shot guys have to be better at everything to be equal so they learn more and try harder and are more understanding, unless society screws them up so bad they actually think of themselves as worthless and just give up and become total dicks!
December 28th, 2008 at 8:02 am
You show a picture of a guy that is a short bodybuilder and say he is a bodybuilder because he is short, to make up for being short. So in your mind a shot man only builds to compensate for being small, not because he likes the benefits of the sport. So in your small mind, short men build to prove themselves. If a short man is into bodybuilding he has been driving to it because he is short, but if a regular size man is into bodybuilding it’s because he likes it. You are the one who thinks short men are inferior. Can’t a short man enjoy it for the same benefits as a tall man, without being labeled as a nut case! You are the short one, maybe not in size but in mind!!!
November 30th, 2008 at 2:02 am
Two more things. . .
1. Napoleon has a F.U.P.A. in that picture. Anyone else catching that?
2. Is SMS a self-perpetuating disease? Example: A good friend of mine in grammar school was shorter than even the females and was always a dick. We’re talking 7th grade here. By 9th grade he could kick anyone’s ass because he had lifted weights twice a day, did insane amounts of cardio, and was studying MMA. To date he’s still 5′1, the same height he was in 7th grade.
He could chew and, subsequently, spit out anyone twice his size today.
I’ve read some articles over the years about weight training at an early age stunting growth. Is this true? If it it is then it would tie in nicely to the whole SMS.
The cure is simply waiting for a growth spurt to hit, vice hitting the weights when you’re 9 years old and not ten feet tall yet.
You have to wonder if the guy in the article picture would have held off on weight training for 3 or 4 years would he be that height?
November 30th, 2008 at 1:56 am
Ricky,
I completely agree with the “Tall Guy Syndrome.”
I hit 6′0″ when I was 17 and have stayed the same height since (smoking a pack and a half a day since that time probably hasn’t helped.)
As said, I was 6′0″ at 17, but it was progressive so I didn’t suddenly wake up with 8″ extra height. Even so, I noticed a lot of really tall bastards with this all-too-self-important attitude. They’d be looking down on people figuratively because they were also doing so literally.
Looking back, thankfully I never did the same thing. I’ve always been a stoner without smoking weed (ok, I’ve done it but damnit I’m NOT a stoner! *stamp*)
Something I’ve noticed is small/tall girl syndrome as well. I’m 23 and have noticed for at least 5 years if a woman is 5′3 or shorter, or 5′7 or taller, they have this super competitive attitude. Perhaps it’s because women, no matter the height, are inferior and feel they have to prove something?
Seriously, to all humans of female gender that was just a joke. Can’t wait to see the kind of hate-responses I get.
October 7th, 2008 at 4:16 am
OMG Joel, you made my day!
I used to think this syndrome was not real but now that I’ve encountered it twice, I’m a believer!!
August 13th, 2008 at 9:25 am
Ricky,
I’m glad to hear from a short guy who has a great sense of self-worth. Height shouldn’t make someone feel bad or good about themselves, who you are as a person is far more important.
And yes, being short has great benefits, like being able to drive sports cars, dance with girls more easily and look girls straight in the eye. I always get a darn crick in my neck lol.
Joel
August 13th, 2008 at 9:16 am
I’m short by all standards (5′5″). Every single one of my friends is taller than me except the girls and occasional Asian. However, I agree with the self-esteem issue. All/Majority of the guys I see my height get all uppity if you even reference size/height as if it completely undermines their entire worth. I’ll even get heat from people +/- 2 inches or so who are just completely insecure. In fact, I know a handful of tall guys who solely rely on height to draw their self-worth from, a similar syndrome in the reverse. They’ll expect a huge reaction if they say that evil five letter “s” word and when I play along it’s like I just went against a Universal law. I can also ride in 2 door cars with impunity.