WHEN the going gets tough, the presidents get taller. So says social psychologist of Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina.
He looked at the heights, ages and facial attributes of the 11 elected US presidents over the past 75 years, and compared them with economic and social indicators such as unemployment and birth rates. “What we’re seeing is that taller candidates are preferred when times are more difficult,” says Pettijohn.
“The taller presidential candidates are preferred when times are more difficult”
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Examples of lofty leaders include Franklin Roosevelt, who steered the US through the Great Depression (188 centimetres), and Bill Clinton, who campaigned with the phrase “It’s the economy, stupid” during the recession of the early 1990s (189 cm). The relatively petite Harry Truman won two elections during the prosperous 1940s (175 cm).
Hard times also make for presidents with larger chins and smaller eyes, says Pettijohn. He thinks that voters associate these features with strength and maturity – qualities that could be perceived to provide security in troubled times. The results were presented last week at a meeting of the American Psychological Association in Toronto, Canada.
Although the study did not include data from 2008, Barack Obama (186 cm) appears to fit the trend. Republicans searching for a candidate to take him on in 2012 may need to aim high.
