WE’VE all wished we could change things about our bodies.
But experts have now revealed that people who specifically wish they were taller are more likely to have dark personality traits.
GettyExperts said that people who want to be taller are more likely to have undesirable personality traits[/caption]
Scientists at the University of Padua, Italy said a collection of traits known as the ‘Dark Triad’ are more frequently seen in those who long for a little more height.
The so-called triad consists of psychopathy, narcissism and machiavellianism, experts said.
People who have these ‘undesirable personality traits’ often have an inflated sense of self worth and can even be overly cynical.
The experts in Italy quizzed 367 US adults and asked them how much they agreed with certain statements.
This included questions such as ‘I am satisfied with my height’, ‘I wish I was taller’ and other more personality specific questions.
These included whether or not the participants thought they could be callous or insensitive, or if they believed they were manipulative.
Writing in the journal Personality and Individual Differences, the experts said they based their research on the ‘Napoleon complex’.
This is the idea that shorter people can display antagonistic behaviours.
Lead author of the paper, Peter K Jonason, associate professor in psychology at the University of Padua said the findings could be ‘revolutionary’.
“Shorter people, especially those who wish they were taller, are more characterised by traits that are likely to make them show-off, be confrontational and interested in power,” he said.
The experts added that people who ‘cannot be formidable physically’ may want to be ‘psychologically formidable’ instead.
While the findings showed the traits were present in both sexes, the authors of the paper said they were more likely to be typical of men.
“Our study provided the first examination of the relationship between height, height attitudes and the Dark Triad traits.
“Generally, our hypotheses were supported: all three traits were associated with the wish to be taller and shorter stature,” the experts added.
A previous studied penned in 2018 found there is a ‘dark spot’ when it comes to personality types.
It’s been dubbed the “dark centre” or D-factor, by experts at the University of Copenhagen.
They defined the D-factor as “the general tendency to maximise one’s individual utility – disregarding, accepting, or malevolently provoking harm towards others, accompanied by beliefs that serve as justifications”.
In layman’s terms: People who deliberately disregard other people’s feelings, or set out to harm them, while thinking they are justified in doing so.