Women give short shrift to any chap under 6ft: Two thirds of women consider 'taller men' sexier than their smaller rivals

71 per cent of women say a date ‘wouldn’t stand a chance’ if under 6ft

Same number said their perfect man was 6ft to 6ft 6in tall

Driven by evolution and positive stereotypes about tall men

71 per cent of women say a potential date 'wouldn't stand a chance' if he was under 6ft tall, according to a poll

When women say they have high standards in choosing a partner, they may be speaking more literally than you’d think.



Because 71 per cent of women say a potential date ‘wouldn’t stand a chance’ if he was under 6ft tall, according to a poll.

The same number said their perfect man was 6ft to 6ft 6in tall, and anyone shorter ‘would struggle’ to get their attention.

But it looks like disappointment is inevitable, as the poll of 1,400 Britons found the average man is just 5ft 10in, two inches short of the ideal. The average woman measures 5ft 4in.

Still, 63 per cent of women considered ‘taller men’ sexier than their smaller rivals.

Psychologist Portia Hickey said: ‘Research has found that women tend to describe their ideal man as taller than average.



‘Women’s attraction to taller men is likely to be driven by both evolution and positive stereotypes about tall men.

' Women are likely to associate a tall man with higher social and professional status as well as reproductive potential, making them seem more attractive.'

It was not all about physical appearance though, with 62 per cent of women admitting they believed smaller men develop an ‘inferiority complex linked to their height’.



This idea is sometimes called ‘short man syndrome’, or ‘Napoleon syndrome’ after belligerent French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who was just 5ft 6in tall.

Other ‘sufferers’ of short man syndrome included Adolf Hitler at 5ft 8ins, Mussolini at 5ft 5ins and Stalin at 5ft 6ins.

The poll of 1,400 Britons found the average man is just 5ft 10in, two inches short of the ideal. The average woman measures 5ft 4in

Women listed height as the third most important trait to look for in a man, after a good sense of humour and kindness.



Meanwhile, 45 per cent of men would date a taller woman – if she would have them – and 49 per cent said the ideal woman was 5ft 7in to 5ft 10in tall, the survey by retailer High and Mighty found.



And 54 per cent of the men polled said they thought their height ‘made no difference to their attractiveness’.



The poll found that 72 per cent of men were ‘happy with their height’, with the most ideal height listed as 6ft by 23 per cent, 6ft 2ins by 17 per cent, and 6ft 3ins by 10 per cent.



