Why taller people are better

The best part is that if that extra food causes you to gain a few pounds, people are much less likely to notice because that weight is spread out over your long body. No joke! International Hug a Tall Person Day. An entire day devoted to showing love to tall people.

Think of all the benefits tall people have as children. Skip to content Site Navigation The Atlantic. Popular Latest. The Atlantic Crossword. Sign In Subscribe. The Returns on an Additional Inch, for Men. Schick and Steckel.

At the other end of the spectrum is a more rare condition called gigantism, in which people grow very tall, usually due to an excess of growth hormones during childhood often caused by a benign tumor on the pituitary gland.

Behind the shrinkage: the discs in your spine, which lose water and begin to compress over time. Osteoporosis , a bone-weakening disease that affects up to 10 million Americans, can exacerbate the problem. The good news is that working on your posture may help counter height loss. Stretching, strength exercises, yoga, and working with a chiropractor or physical therapist can help. First, dress in monochromatic, tonal palettes. Avoid wearing sharp contrasts in color like white and black, which breaks up your body and makes you appear shorter.

If you want to don monster heels, wear pants that cover your shoes to visually add length. Finally, choose tailored clothing to avoid looking boxy, which will make you look wider and shorter. By subscribing you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

Health Topics. Health Tools. Healthy Living. Medically Reviewed. Are bigger bodies more prone to clumsiness and mishaps? Credit: Getty Images. Clumsiness Think of your body a bit like a car: in purely mechanical terms, the larger it is, the harder it is to slow down if you need to avoid a collision.

And of course, shorter people have less distance to fall. You need only watch the comedian Miranda Hart to see this principle in action. Perhaps this can explain why taller people are much more likely to suffer from injuries across their lifetime; women taller than 5ft 8in are twice as likely to fracture their hip as women who are just 5ft 2in.

Is being tall a health hazard? Every centimetre in height may knock 0. Lifespan and health Villagrande Strisaili in Sardinia is known to have the highest proportion of centenarians in the whole of Europe. While many factors may contribute including the Mediterranean diet and a lively social life — one possible reason may be that the people are a little on the short side, with an average male height of around cm or 5ft 3in for the oldest generation.

Since healthier children tend to grow taller, you might expect height to be a good indicator of overall fitness. When other factors such as diet and healthcare have been taken into account, however, taller people seem to suffer as they get older.