Power actually makes people ‘feel taller’

Study finds relationship between feelings of power and one's perception of one's own height.

A new study says that power can make people feel taller,physically!

The study,based on a series of experiments conducted by researchers at the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labour Relations,confirmed there’s a relationship between feelings of power and one’s perception of one’s own height.

According to the research,there is a physical experience that goes with feeling powerful.

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“Although a great deal of research has shown that physically imposing individuals are more likely to acquire power,this work is the first to show that being powerful may actually make people feel taller than they are. We found that people literally perceived themselves as taller when they occupied a more powerful position,” Prof Jack Goncalo,who led the study,was quoted by ‘The Daily Telegraph’ as saying.

He said it raised the possibility that world leaders were less able to feel empathy and relate to “little people” because they actually felt bigger. Similarly,short people might attempt to capture power by physically elevating themselves above others.

The findings have been published in the ‘Psychological Science’ journal.

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