What is Napoleon Complex? Short men develop psychopathic traits to 'demand respect,' claims study
WARSHAW, POLAND: In their study, a group of Polish scientists found that short men "may actually be evolutionarily hardwired" with the personality traits known as the "dark triad." This is primarily associated with 'confrontational behavior,' that is, psychopathy, lack of empathy, and antisocial behavior. Other characteristics of the little men include narcissism, an egocentric mindset, Machiavellianism, manipulation, and indifference to mortality.
"Our study provides the first assessment ( we know of) of how the dark triad traits relate to height and height attitudes," write the researchers, who studied 367 men and women, reports NY Post. The study looks at the so-called Napolean complex, named after the warrior said to have been 5' 2" tall. He sought power through aggression and was mocked by British newspapers for his height during the French Revolution.
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“We showed that not only are people high on the dark triad traits less satisfied with their height, but this may be because they are actually shorter. This leads us to believe that the behavioral syndromes of the dark triad traits may be part of a suite of psychological systems designed by natural selection to better enable those of shorter stature a way to still compete in life’s great challenges,” according to the published article in the Elsevier journal Personality and Individual Differences.
Lead author Monika Kozlowska, from Poland’s University of Wroclaw, said, “They theorize that when a person is not physically formidable and does not have an intimidating presence, they have to impose themselves in other ways, becoming ‘psychologically formidable’ instead.” She further adds, “Appearing more powerful may in turn make other people perceive them as taller than they really are. Shorter men with traits such as psychopathy can use them to demand respect, impost costs on others, and impress romantic partners. We propose that psychological formidability may provide advantages in survival and mating domains that offset losses in physical formidability.”
Interestingly, Kylie Cheung had written an article for Jezebel, digging deep into the theory of ‘short king,’ a rise in the popularity of males less than 5’8” among women, reports The New York Post. “Short king status is, more than anything, a state of mind, if you will: an openness to everything that life at a slightly lower altitude has to offer, which can apparently be a lot,” she observed. Adding, “Short kings embrace who they are and who their partners are; they treat everyone, including themselves, with respect.”
Famous celebrity short kings, include former pair Tom Cruise, and Nicole Kidman, and Zendaya and Tom Holland.
Moreover, the Journal of Sexual Medicine observed that shorter men indulge in more frequent sex, and are 32 percent less likely to divorce if they’re under 5’9”.