Short men are more narcissistic and have psychopathic tendencies, finds study

Short men have always seemed to get the short end of the stick (no pun intended) when it comes to the dating world.

However, with a scientific study confirming their skill in the bedroom and recent celebrity couples showing that height difference doesn't always matter, it seems like opinions might be changing.

And while smaller lads might like to think of themselves as 'short kings', a new study has suggested that they had more narcissistic and psychopathic tendencies.

This will undoubtedly be music to the ears of anyone who insists that their dates need to be over 6 foot... 'if it matters'.

Alamy / Gary Mitchell, GMP Media

While we've all probably heard of 'short man syndrome' before, the apparent proof of its existence was published in the Elsevier journal, Personality and Individual Differences.

The study's lead author Monika Kozłowska, from the University of Wrocław in Poland, said of the findings: "When people cannot be physically formidable, they may become psychologically formidable instead.

"Shorter people with traits such as psychopathy can use them to demand respect, impose costs on others and impress romantic partners.

"Appearing more powerful may in turn make other people perceive them as taller than they really are."

In a nutshell, shorter men may develop these unfavourable characteristics to overcompensate for their lack of physical stature. It's even got its own name - a 'Napoleon complex'.

In case you weren't already aware, Admiral Napoleon was a short king himself, coming in with a height of just over 5'5.

As reported by the MailOnline, Napoleon allegedly wasn't the chillest lad on the planet and was reportedly quite an angry guy who was obsessed with having power.

The fact that he was mocked in newspapers at the time for his height probably worsened the situation - if we were to hazard a guess.

Alamy / GL Archive

The research involved asking 367 men questions based on the 'dark triad' - that is a lack of empathy and antisocial behaviour and narcissism.

This meant they had to answer questions like whether or not they 'tend to manipulate others to get my way'.

The men also had to reveal how tall they were as part of the survey and reveal how they felt about their stature.

The researchers then concluded based on their answers that 'shorter men can demand respect, impose costs on others, acquire resources, and impress romantic partners by their traits'.

They added: "Shorter women can use deception to appear more desirable or to gain protection and resources.

"Additionally, appearing more powerful may in turn affect others' perceptions of one's estimated height.

"We propose that psychological formidability may provide advantages in survival and mating domains that offset losses in physical formidability."