Abstract:

The influence of body height on psychological issues and processes is defined as psychological effects of body height. It is widely believed that taller people have more opportunities and received more attention in daily life. In this article, we reviewed the literature on the psychological effects of body height. Past research indicate that body height influences an individual’s social perceptions, personality traits, mate selection and mental health. These psychological effects of body height can be explained by evolutionary theories, social norms, visual perceptions and self-fulfilling prophecies. Future research could further explore the effects of body height on other outcome variables and examine the mechanism, improve the accuracy of height measurement and rigor of research methods. The unique effects of body height in China could also be further examined.

Key words: body height, social perception, subjective well-being, evolutionary psychology