Concerned About Job Security? Try Limb Lengthening.
![](https://bigthink.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/origin-69.jpg?w=75&h=56&crop=1)
Studies have documented the correlation between height and
success. Now medical advances are extending options for adding a
few inches to all the height-challenged out there.
Princeton released the findings of a two-year study, “Stature And Status: Height, Ability, and Labor Market Outcomes.” The findings were staggering: taller people are more successful because from an early age they perform significantly better on cognitive tests.
Translating the Princeton research into actual income, an Australian study polled 20,000 people and concluded that with every 10 centimeters of height, one could expect a three percent increase in hourly wages.
In American politics, taller candidates have consistently
been elected president.
There have been some exceptions–notably Bush and Kerry in 2004–but the norm has been the Obamas and Lincolns of presidential races; Barack towered a full five inches over his rival McCain. Perhaps taking a cue from the election height rule, Hajnal
Ban,
who is running for office in Australia, recently underwent a bone-lengthening procedure
to add a few inches.
The limb-lengthening option is becoming increasingly popular. The procedure has taken
off in height-challenged countries like China. In the relatively taller United States, the International Center for Limb
Lengthening
in Maryland caters to the needs of the short.
Limb-lengthening has not become a standard cosmetic
procedure yet, but with Americans looking to stay ahead of a troubled job
market it stands as one back-burner option.