A new research has corroborated that there is a relationship between feelings of power and our perception of our own height.
Professor Jack Goncalo, who led the study by Cornell University School of Industrial and Labour Relations in New York, proved that there is a physical experience that goes with feeling powerful.
“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,” the Telegraph quoted Prof Goncalo 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 are to be published in the scientific journal Psychological Science.