PixaBay

You’ve no doubt heard of love at first sight, but are you aware of love at first height? A new study declares your perfect mate is probably the same or a similar height as you are.

Get on My Level

Photopin

Eyes are the windows to the soul, so it makes sense that in order to determine if someone is your perfect mate, you’d want to gaze into their eyes. Scientists from across the pond in the United Kingdom have released results from a study they’ve been conducting about couples and height. It turns out that the same genes that determine our height also determines which height we’re attracted to.

13,000 heterosexual couples had their genes analyzed by scientists, who worked with the University of Edinburgh. It was found that our genes drive us towards mates who are just about as tall as us. Scientists gathered data about the couples they selected from the UK Biobank. When everything was said and done, the height of a given person’s perfect mate could be predicted with 13 percent accuracy.

The lead researcher of the study, Albert Tenesa, said that “how we choose our partners has important biological implications for human populations.” This study has gotten us closer to understanding the complexity of sexual attraction.

Not So Fast…

Wikimedia Commons

However, another study organized by the Konkuk University in South Korea found conflicting results. Researchers there concluded if there was a large height difference between a man and a woman, the woman was happier in the relationship. This contentment lasted only a short while, though, as the height difference happiness seemed to fade as time went by. It does take years for the fading to occur, however. The author of this study noted the timeline of this means that the height of the man a woman is with is very powerful.

If you want an example of a famous couple who, allegedly, has the perfect height difference, look no further than the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, William and Kate. Yet another study conducted in England (this country clearly has a fascination with the height difference in couples) revealed that, for one, height is more important to women than it is to men. Women feel more protected if her perfect mate is taller than her. Although height is more important to a woman, 70 percent of all couples find they are more comfortable with the man being taller. Six inches seems to be the perfect height difference for couples. As it turns out, that is the exact difference in height between William and Kate.

When we first meet someone with romantic intentions, their height is definitely one of the first things we take note of. However, since the UK and South Korea studies have such differing results, we know height plays an important role in sexual attraction, but the formula for finding the perfect mate based on height alone isn’t quite ready, yet.

Would you date someone who was extremely taller or shorter than you?

Comments

comments