Psychologists: Leadership qualities of a person are associated with its growth
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
American psychologists say that the leader's qualities of a person are associated with his growth - the higher the politician, the greater his chances of being elected.
On the results of an article published in the journal Social Science Quarterly. Based on their findings, American psychologists suggest that Republican Mitt Romney, 188 centimeters tall, will become the favorite of the presidential race in the United States.
"Our research and other works on this subject show that all people on our planet, regardless of culture or upbringing, trust leaders of high growth, rather than middle or low. For example, Barack Obama was 185 centimeters taller than John McCain, who was 13 centimeters below him. In 2012, Obama is likely to lose to the Republican candidate, Mitt Romney, with his 188 centimeters, "said one of the authors of the work of Greg Murray of Texas Tech University in Lubbock (USA).
Murray and his colleague David Schmitz from the Texas Tech University in Lubbock, USA, discovered the "cave" roots of political leadership by studying the image of a typical leader in literature and in the collective presentation of students from American universities. In the majority of drawings, legends and in the early writings of modern Aborigines and ancient peoples, leaders, divine figures and other leaders were higher than ordinary people. Then the authors of the article tried to "count" the collective image of the modern leader with the help of a survey that they conducted among 460 students of American universities. The survey showed that the leader was above the average person in 64% of cases.
The scientists tested the political aspirations of the students themselves - they asked them to assess their own leadership qualities and their willingness to go into politics. It turned out that tall people considered themselves to be good leaders and were ready to take the reins of government in their own hands more often than people of medium and low stature. "Culture and environmental conditions can not explain the fact that people from different civilizations and cultures have always preferred high leaders. This is true for many peoples - from the Maya to the ancient Greeks, "Schmitz explained. Researchers believe that this irrational feature of modern politics can easily be explained by relying on modern ideas about the evolution of human psychology.
[