Sexual Orientation, Objective Height, and Self-Reported Height

Abstract

Studies that have used mostly self-reported height have found that androphilic men and women are shorter than gynephilic men and women, respectively. This study examined whether an objective height difference exists or whether a psychosocial account (e.g., distortion of self-reports) may explain these putative height differences. A total of 863 participants, recruited at a Canadian university, the surrounding region, and through lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) events across Canada, self-reported their height and had their height measured. Androphilic men were shorter, on average, than gynephilic men. There was no objective height difference between gynephilic, ambiphilic, and androphilic women. Self-reported height, statistically controlling for objective height, was not related to sexual orientation. These findings are the first to show an objective height difference between androphilic and gynephilic men. Also, the findings suggest that previous studies using self-reported height found part of a true objective height difference between androphilic and gynephilic men. These findings have implications for existing biological theories of men’s sexual orientation development.

Acknowledgments

This study was done as part of the requirements for the master’s degree by M. N. S. Thank you to K. Walczyk, S. Geniole, L. Jamieson, K. Zeller, C. Davis, K. Spin, J. Bramley, S. Norgaard, and A. DesRoches for assistance with the collection of data. Thank you to M. Busseri, M. Chivers, N. DeCourville, and D. McCreary for assistance with statistical analyses and helpful comments on drafts of the master’s thesis on which this article was based. Thank you to the three anonymous reviewers and the associate editor for insightful comments related to this article.

Funding

This research was supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant to A. F. B. (335-737-042).

Notes

¹ The first (or main) experimenter conducted all height assessments at all locations except for at Vancouver Pride, where the second (replacement) experimenter conducted the height measurements. The main experimenter was unable to attend the Vancouver Pride festivities. The Vancouver participants were filtered out because there was evidence that the second experimenter had a high degree of error in measurements relative to the main experimenter. Contact the first author for details associated with measurement issues on Vancouver Pride participants.

² Any participants with an average sexual orientation score between 6 and 6.9 could reflect some androphilic/ambiphilic orientation (in men) or some gynephilic/ambiphilic orientation (in women); however, these individuals were grouped as part of the predominantly androphilic women and predominantly gynephilic men because the majority identified as “heterosexual/straight” (i.e., 143 out of 152 who obtained an average between 6 and 6.9 identified as “heterosexual/straight” (94.1%) and two did not provide an identity). Thus, the participants with an average sexual orientation score between 6 and 6.9 may reflect some same-sex orientation, but it appears to be minimal. Further, additional analyses were conducted filtering out those participants with average sexual orientation scores between 6 and 6.9 who identified as non-“heterosexual/straight” and this did not change the pattern of the results of the main analyses, except the objective height effect within men using a continuous measure of sexual orientation was marginally significant (p = .06).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council grant to A. F. B. (335-737-042).