Wish you were taller? Blame your siblings

Posted Sep 14th 2007 at 4:17PM by Anne Metz (Subscribe to Anne Metz's posts)

Filed under: CELEBRITY STYLE, Celebrity, News

Considering that tall people tend to make more money that their shorter counterparts, it stands to reason why a person might wish he or she had been born with more vertical.

But unless you're willing to undergo that gruesome femur extension surgery, there isn't a lot you can do about your height other than blame your bum luck and bad DNA.

Or so you thought...

Scientists in the UK have discovered that having older siblings, particular brothers can stunt growth. Experts connect the height trend to the condition of the womb as well as the mother's health following her first pregnancy. In cases of families with more than three children, the younger siblings tend to be roughly an inch shorter than the average for their age.

This research may come as cold comfort, but for those of you who have been looking for reasons to resent your older siblings, you can go ahead and add "diminutive stature" to your list of grievances.

Remember, it's their fault you don't make enough money or can't get dates.

Venge accordingly.

Source

Tags: height, science, siblings, style

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

Lesli 9-21-2007 @ 1:43PM

I am glad I am the oldest...and the tallest. : )

johnny 9-21-2007 @ 1:46PM

thats horse crap! im the youngest and by far the tallest in my family.

amylea1370 9-21-2007 @ 1:48PM

I find this article STUPID. I have an older sister who I'm almost a foot taller than.. and a younger brother who is almost a foot taller then me... dumb.. dumb.. dumb.... My children.... my 17 year old is almost an inch SHORTER than his twin brothers.. and his 3rd younger brother is catching up... do people really waste their time on this bs?

trinnity 9-21-2007 @ 3:16PM

I'm the oldest of 4 children, the youngest being 10 years younger than I. I have a brother, and am one of 3 sisters. I'm 5'2",and she's 6'0". I don't think this study is too accurate.

KP 9-21-2007 @ 1:56PM

Im going to sue my brother and my parents for having him first!!!And for lost and future wages I have lost because of this!!!

hokiechic 9-21-2007 @ 1:56PM

My older brother is 6'5'' tal and i'm 5'6'' tall...so he has me by way more than an inch. I think there was a milkman...or he was adopted!

marcy 9-21-2007 @ 2:45PM

hey amyleah1370 - you are a FOOT taller than one sibling and a FOOT shorter than another? what do you have in your family? GIANTS or MIDGETS?
lets TRY to estimate it -- IF you are average at 5'5" - you would have a sibling at 6'5" -- AND one at 4'5" - that is pretty short! IF you were tall - at lets say 5'10" - and you had a shorter one at 4'10" - still pretty short -- and a taller one at 6'10" - that is just ridiculous. your numbers dont add up.....

Dee 9-21-2007 @ 2:25PM

I'm the youngest and the shortest....but the rest of this article doesn't hold water. Sure my older brother is taller AND more successful but my older sister, who is also taller is less successful than I. I enjoyed reading this article because it gives me a reason to harrass my brother. I just sent it to him again telling him that all my problems in life are his fault. This article is just the proof I needed. We'll both have fun with it for a long time.

heather 9-21-2007 @ 2:34PM

i'm the oldest and i am 5'4" both of my younger brothers are 6'

Scoobs 9-21-2007 @ 2:35PM

I'm the youngest and shortest, the youngest are better risk takers and business owners, needless to say I'm the wealthiest, by a long shot. Height does not affect how much you earn.

jenn 9-21-2007 @ 2:40PM

Yeah this is crap. I am the youngest of 6 and by far the tallest girl in my family by 3 inches. Out of my 4 children my youngest is the tallest.

terry 9-21-2007 @ 2:41PM

i'm 5 years younger than my brother. he is 5'9" while i am 6'1"
your reasoning has no logicisity whatsoever.

Mary 9-21-2007 @ 2:51PM

I'm the youngest woman in my family, and the tallest.

John 9-21-2007 @ 2:56PM

I don't know if it's true, but...

I'm the youngest of 4 brothers. The oldest is 6', second oldest was 5'10, third is 5'11 and I'm 5'9. And money making also goes in that order. Hmmm....

maryb 9-21-2007 @ 3:06PM

I don't think I agree with that discovery. I have 5 boys and the first one was diagnosed with growth hormone deficiency and is only 5'4" AFTER treatments, my next two were about 5'10 1/2", my fourth is 5'11" and my youngest is 5'10" so #4 is the tallest. You can't attribute diet to that either because #2 & 4 do not eat any vegtables, fruits, pasta (except for spaghetti for #2) or rice. #3 and 5 were very good eaters. My oldest can thank his grand parents on his dad's side for his size, my husband's grandfather was only 5'4" and his grandmother (and mother) were only 4'11". My husband is also not very tall either, 5'7". About the condition of the womb....I'm sure it was in rough shape after #3 because he was a rib swinger and is still hyper at 21! LOL #4 rarely moved in the womb, guess he was resting up for his growing years! LOL The only boy who can blame his brother for his height is #5 and he and #4 don't get along most of the time anyway...come to think of it...he doesn't need to know about this because it's just one more reason for him to pick a fight with his brother! LOL

tbrown 9-21-2007 @ 3:31PM

I think they need to "rethink" their thinking! I am the next to last of 7 children (younger brother)...4 boys, 3 girls. I am the tallest of the girls at 5'10" ....and all my brothers are 6'2 or taller. The oldest, my sister, is the shortest of all 7, @ 5'8".

J.B 9-21-2007 @ 3:56PM

Oh my god what B.S that one is. Totaly wrong in my family.
ANY person who put's their priorities into height, money when meeting a person to date DESERVE'S NO DATE AND NO HUSBAND or WIFE.
We are All product's of our stupid desicion's and what good is it to date a 6.4 hunk when he is a STUNK as a person. I NEVER looke'd at these stupid things and found the greatest person to marry. 5.8 and HAPPY !!!!
Women are VERY stupid in this department and DESERVE IT.

Rachel 9-21-2007 @ 4:10PM

i am the youngest of 4 and by far the shortest in the family :( im 5'1 my brothers are all over 6 foot

kmc 9-21-2007 @ 4:29PM

Even if this WERE true, I'd love my 3 older siblings all the more for it, b/c I happen to like my 5'4" height, thank you. =)

greg 9-21-2007 @ 4:33PM

Do people really think that looking at their own family-this one little microcosm-validates or invalidates a study of 14,000 families? Don't you think some number of the 14,000 studied had a younger or youngest child turn out to be the tallest? What the research says is the younger siblings "averaged" about an inch shorter. This is out of at least 28,000 children, and one would think a lot more. While interesting that a particular family doesn't follow this pattern, it isn't significant. My sister is shortest, and earns the most. Older brother tallest of all and earns the least. Unless the research was skewed purposely for some end (and what could that be unless I'm missing some conspiracy theory here), there really isn't a reason to say anything but "Hmmm. That's interesting. Doesn't apply to my family, but interesting none-the-less."

| 1 | 2 | 3 | Most Recent | Next 20 Comments