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Life

Tough times call for taller presidents

12 August 2009

Âé¶¹´«Ã½. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Tough times call for lofty leaders

(Image: Mark Wilson/Getty)

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”

Examples of lofty leaders include Franklin Roosevelt,…

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