Social situations can be exciting, fun, scary, and nerve-racking. Some people are naturals and enjoy going out with friends and meeting strangers while others prefer to stay at home and find social situations especially with new people daunting. 

When you're shorter than average, you might perceive yourself differently than people who are average or tall. This perception can lead to negative feelings that impact your happiness and success in life. The following identifies some of the negative feelings short individuals have in social situations. Do you have any of the below feelings?

Feelings of Inferiority

It isn't surprising that many shorter individuals have feelings of inferiority when they are shorter than average. In social situations where everyone is standing up, others must literally look down to make eye contact. 

A study by Daniel Freeman of Oxford University showed if short people truly felt inferior. The researcher worked with 60 women and put them into a virtual environment. These women rode on a subway virtually, once at their actual height and a second time at a height that was almost 10 inches shorter than their actual height. Almost all these women reported feelings of inferiority due to their reduced height. This sense wasn't reported when they made the virtual journey at their real height. 

If you're like many other short people who feel inferior in social situations, there are steps that you can take. When you have higher self-esteem and confidence, it's hard for others to make you feel inferior to them even when it's unintentional. 

Feelings of Paranoia

Researchers have found paranoia is quite common among people who are shorter than most of the people around them. When stepping into a crowded area as a shorter person, it may seem like everyone is looking down. Many people even feel as though people are making fun of them even though that is not the case, especially when it’s a setting in which there’s a lot of talking and laughing.

No matter the truth of whether people are or aren’t pointing out height, a shorter person who has feelings of paranoia feels inferior and that can negatively affect the actions in those situations.

Lack of Confidence

It's common knowledge that if you're ever confronted by one of the large cats, such as a mountain lion, that you need to make yourself as big as possible. As a shorter person, you hear this and know that you can't feel bigger than a wild cat. 

Many short people lack the confidence of others, especially in a social situation. You might find yourself trying to shrink yourself into a smaller space or sitting in a more remote location than the other people. 

When a shorter person lacks confidence in a social situation, others may overlook them more easily, leading the shorter person to feel inferior. There are ways to improve your confidence in social situations, such as holding your head up high. 

A lack of confidence in social situations can leave short people with a lower sense of worth. While other people might not underestimate them based on their height, they will when they see a person who lacks confidence in themselves. 

Feeling Unattractive

When you're shorter than everyone else, and others must look down to see you, it's easy to feel less attractive than other taller people. Many shorter people feel unattractive due to their height. 

Unfortunately, research has shown this perception to be true. Rowan University researchers found that when it came to attractiveness in males, the average height men were seen as the most attractive. Taller men were seen as slightly more attractive than shorter ones. 

Women were rated with the tallest women being the most attractive. The shorter woman was listed as least attractive. It's important to remember that these were photos. 

Everyone wants to feel attractive. If you're shorter than average, you might find it more difficult to feel that way. There are things that you can do to make yourself feel more attractive at any height. It starts with believing in yourself. 

Feeling Vulnerable and Less Powerful

It makes sense that people who are shorter than many of the people around them feel vulnerable and less powerful. When people must look up at others and other people have look down, it makes it seems as though they are being looked DOWN on and that can be intimidating. This intimidation takes away the power many short people possess.

How to Feel Better About Yourself

Short people perceive themselves as different from others in social situations. It might be that they lack self-confidence, experience paranoia, or feel more vulnerable. If you're shorter than average, there are steps you can take to make yourself feel better in these situations. 

Many people who struggle with their height in social situations seek counseling to help them better handle social situations. Unfortunately, counseling doesn’t always help. When physical attributes continue to affect the way people perceive themselves, making them feel a certain way, changing those attributes may be the only way to change their life. That’s when a height lengthening procedure may help.

Height lengthening is a procedure that can permanently increase your height. Dr. Shahab Mahboubian is an orthopedic surgeon who can help you get those extra inches, so you can feel better about yourself in all types of situations. This can lead you to higher self-esteem, more happiness and opportunities in life that you wouldn’t have with continued negative perceptions about yourself.

Do something that will help you improve the quality of your life. Contact us now for more information about how height lengthening can help you.