Older people like 40s+ on average anecdotally seem shorter to me than young people like 16-30. I don’t find it uncommon to see older people that are very short for their sex. But I see very few young people who are short. Young women seem like 5’6 or so on average and young men maybe 5’11.
All anecdotally experience, so maybe I’m just short and feel it. Do others think this too or are people no longer getting taller?
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It’s a combination of better diets over the generations as well as people just seeking out partners who are taller as a preference.
Most nations are getting taller for a number of reasons, but the Dutch (who are pretty tall) seem to have started to reach a plateau.
Yes:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-23896855
I’m 184cm (6’1 for those of you who like ye olde shitty numbers), 37, but I’m noticing there seem to be a lot of tall kids around.
Something something… growth hormones.. something something….
No, I’m not an anti-GM or Organic food obsessed hippy.
I remember reading that we’re probably nearing the cap on height being restrained by people’s diets. Because women are born with all their eggs, their mother’s health impacts those eggs. So we’re just getting to the point where people born now had grandparents who had access to fully nutritious diets. Of course this differs by socio-economic background and obviously by individuals, but at a population level, people’s height is levelling off.
Genes, nutrition and how likely your keeping your body on the move with sports.
In my early 8-15 I would play football, swim, cycle alot.
That came in with good and sometimes mediocre food.
I’m 6,2 now (34) brother the same but had cancer he’s a tad shorter I guess because of that. But I would say genetic is definitely a thing to consider in my opinion.
Definitely 35 years ago when I was at school everyone was under 5ft
No, height has plateaued in the UK. The statistics suggest people have got very slightly shorter, those born in the early 90s are tallest.
There’s additional data showing those who grew up in the austerity years are even shorter for their age.
Nothing that proves anything, but my 11 year old is 6 inches shorter than me (I’m 5,11) and my 4 y/o was in the 96th centil as a baby and is a good inch taller than the tallest kid in her class (dr told us when she was 3 that she was taller than the average 4 year old)
Besides diet. I assumed it was because the upped the age to buy cigarettes from 16 to 18 and smoking just isn’t as prevalent among teenagers and young people as it used to be.
I could be wrong but it always springs to mind.
Your perception of evolution is way too fast.
People also get shorter as they get older, as the plates in their spines compress under the years of weight standing up. So no, we are not getting taller. Maybe ask again in 400 years and I might have a different answer.
I think it has always been the case that younger people tend to be taller than older people, at least up to the current generation (those born after the 1970s).
But a more notable phenomenon is that it’s fairly easy to split locally born Asians and Asia-born Asians by looking at their height (except Bangladeshis who are famous for their stunted stature).
I’m 5’3” and it feels like even the year 7’s are mostly taller than me these days.
Yes, yoofs today are fucking huge. There’s school kids taller than me and I’m a lanky shit