Why are so many people mistaken as to their height?

Brian CivilEng

I'm 172cm standing up, another couple of cm when lying down. Try measuring yourself standing and lying, you'll be surprised but there is a difference. Just a friendly piece of advice for when you are buying a coffin.

javaboy

abitofacomedian wrote: »

I'm 172cm standing up, another couple of cm when lying down.

What did you do? OD on Viagra or something. :eek:

That reminded me of something.

Last year, when out, my friend and I would go up to random lads & ask their height. . it happened so often. . that multiple lads would say they were 6" . . then being complete bitches. . would laugh. . & then bring the lads together. . ohh gawwd. . must of them were shorten then myself.

Aww funny creatures.:P

confusticated

Hehe, one of my friends is convinced she's really really tall (for a girl like) and often mentions how she likes being tall and how she's taller than me. But we stood back to back in front of a mirror once and were exactly the same height, but she wouldn't see it, weird.

I think a lot of people just have a rough estimate of their height, often based on judging their height relative to other people who only have a rough estimate of theirs, so a couple of inches are lost or gained pretty easily.

Dord

Up until recently I thought I was 6'4". Someone was contesting my height so we got someone else to measure us. Turns out I'm actually 6'5"!

fcukin' hell, I'm tall enough as it is... better not grow more!

MistyCheese

I haven't a clue how tall I am, but I'm pretty damn sure it's not "tall".

So I'm not mistaken, just ignorant. And uncaring. Uncaring is a very big part of ignorant. An underestimated part of ignorant.

To this day I've never, ever been asked "Hey, how tall are you, then MistyCheese?". Perhaps the day after I am ever asked this I will be motivated to discover the "magic" number.

Opinicus

Because people don't realise they have more head above their eyes. I continually think people are taller than me when in fact they are about the same height.

Try it. Get a friend who is the same height as you and look at them and you will automatically think they are an inch or two higher than you.

I'm 6' 2" btw.

evolutionqy7

The_Minister wrote: »

I'm 6'4''.

I have measured, and I am 6'4''.

My doctor even measured me. I'm right on the line.

Yet, when I'm out, and people (tbh, guys mostly) ask how tall I am and I respond "6'4''", I get told continually that I am not 6'4'', I am in fact 6'6'' because they are 6'1'' and they barely tickle my nose, and therefore I must be taller.

This happens continually.

If you are only up to my chin, you are not 6' tall. Maybe you wish you were, but my head is not only 4 inches big.

Were that the case I would be dead.

Anyone else noticed that loads of guys think they are 6'1'' when they are actually much shorter?

high heels?

owenc

evolutionqy7 wrote: »

high heels?

why would a man wear high heels.:rolleyes:

up for anything

I'm 4' 11".

Spare a few inches for the nice lady, Guv. (not those ones, thanks very much)

bnt

The England footballer Peter Crouch is 6'7", which makes his name a little ironic - Crouch is what he has to do most time he goes through a doorway.

When I was a teenager I was measured at exactly 6' in shoes, so I used to tell people that I was 5'11⅔". A few years ago I got measured for a medical exam, and found that I was almost precisely that, on that day and in those socks. I'm over 6' first thing in the morning, since your spine stretches a little overnight.

evolutionqy7

owenc wrote: »

why would a man wear high heels.:rolleyes:

well he kinda says that lads talk about his height...well lol i never heard any of my mates saying tall u are or wow u got taller...its more of a girl thing...

Cookie_Monster

Why are so many people mistaken as to their height?

Because they can't get it into their heads that we use the metric system and have done so for decades and decade. I'm 178cm , couldn't give a **** what that is in feet cos it's irrelevant, outdated and stupid.

Cookie_Monster

javaboy wrote: »

What did you do? OD on Viagra or something. :eek:

you're taller in the morning than in the evening. The oppresive weight of gravity and having to listen to Finna Fail every day just gets you down.

Pittens

No way the average height is 6'0; there are very few countries in the world, if any, where that is the case.
As far as i know, the last time a study was done on this, the average height of males in Ireland was was about 5'8 and a half; may have increased since then, but i doubt by more than about half an inch.

Yeah. I am actually, as measured in my socks, 5 10.5. In my shoes/boots that is probbly close to 6 Ft, depending on the shoes ( runners tend to be about an inch I think, boots more, formal shoes less). So, my workaday shoes give me at least an inch, and of course one is inclined to round up.

anyway - despite the preponderence of people above 6'4'' on this thread - I tend to not have too many men ( and no women) taller than me in a line. Seriously. Where are the tall people? On the internet?

Like the OP however, I am surrounded by people who measure their height not with any scientific measuring system but by comparing with others. So all my friends, most smaller than me - are 6 footers for definite.

We have had instances on this thread of someone ( sv I think) saying that he was shortass at 5'10'' and all his friends are 6 footers. Thats rubbish. If I am at a bar more than half the male population is smaller. Take 3 inches off there sonny.

Also, one guy measured himself at the petrol station.

Your height does not include your shoes.

in socks, the average is 5'8'' and possibly 5'9'' for younger people - but even then I doubt that as there are far too many people obviously smaller than me. ( Of course most people see me as a 6 footer, since I am close to that in shoes, and thats how most people - incorrectly - measure).

K4t

up for anything wrote: »

I'm 4' 11".

Spare a few inches for the nice lady, Guv. (not those ones, thanks very much)

Lesbian?:pac:

Thoie

Pittens wrote: »

Also, one guy measured himself at the petrol station.

Your height does not include your shoes.

If you were talking about me, I was

a) joking about the petrol station, as I think their scale is particularly out of whack and
b) wearing ballet slippers at the time.

Skid

I heard Ken Livingstone (Former Mayor of London) tell a story once about when he was getting measured for his waxwork model in Madame Tussauds.

The designers asked him what his height was, and when they measured him he was actually an inch taller than what he had claimed.

They couldn't believe the results - they said it was the first time in their history that any man had understated their height, most claim to have an extra 2 or 3 inches (ahem!).

Mars Bar

up for anything wrote: »

I'm 4' 11".

Spare a few inches for the nice lady, Guv. (not those ones, thanks very much)

Apparently you can claim some sort of disability for being under 5 ft as an adult?!

You can definitely get it in America, not too sure about here. The height varies between 4 ft 11 and 5 ft 2 in the different states.

I'm claiming that if I ever go there!

evolutionqy7

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Because they can't get it into their heads that we use the metric system and have done so for decades and decade. I'm 178cm , couldn't give a **** what that is in feet cos it's irrelevant, outdated and stupid.

couldnt agree more...the imperial system should have been ditched long ago, or even invented in the first place...but then every 2nd person wouldn't have a clue what 178cm were or a cm for that matter blame the english

FruitLover

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

Because they can't get it into their heads that we use the metric system

WTF do you mean "we" use the metric system? Are you French? Because I've never met an Irish person who describes their height in centimetres.

up for anything

mars bar wrote: »

Apparently you can claim some sort of disability for being under 5 ft as an adult?!

You can definitely get it in America, not too sure about here. The height varies between 4 ft 11 and 5 ft 2 in the different states.

I'm claiming that if I ever go there!

*searches for passport*

up for anything

K4t wrote: »

Lesbian?:pac:

Are you? Why should I care?

Tar.Aldarion

Guys always like to think they are taller dunno why. I think I'm 5 10, might be a shade under or over. Dunno, don't care. Smaller you are the more chance snu snu can happen :cool:

randylonghorn

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Smaller you are the more chance snu snu can happen :cool:

Still got a tight one, then TarA?

Tar.Aldarion

Innocence grew back

randylonghorn

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

Innocence grew back

Jeez, that must have taken some fertilising ...

SV

Pittens wrote: »

We have had instances on this thread of someone ( sv I think) saying that he was shortass at 5'10'' and all his friends are 6 footers. Thats rubbish. If I am at a bar more than half the male population is smaller. Take 3 inches off there sonny.

I'm basing my height on what I've been told by doctors when being measured(actually twice I came in at 5'11" but I take 5'10" cos that's what the majority came in at)
I'm telling you now, I was out last night and I was taller than maybe..2..3 guys?
Average male population in Carlow then at least is fecking huge

panda100

The_Minister wrote: »

I'm 6'4''.

I have measured, and I am 6'4''.

My doctor even measured me. I'm right on the line.

Yet, when I'm out, and people (tbh, guys mostly) ask how tall I am and I respond "6'4''", I get told continually that I am not 6'4'', I am in fact 6'6'' because they are 6'1'' and they barely tickle my nose, and therefore I must be taller.

This happens continually.

If you are only up to my chin, you are not 6' tall. Maybe you wish you were, but my head is not only 4 inches big.

Were that the case I would be dead.

Anyone else noticed that loads of guys think they are 6'1'' when they are actually much shorter?

Believe me you get this 100x more from guys when your a tall girl.

I'm just a bit shy of 6'1,Have been measured lots of time and that is most definately my height.

Yet I constantly have men telling me I must be at least 6'3 or 6'4 as they are 6'1. Its not my fair making me into a giant just cos their little squirts.

Wibbs

ascanbe wrote: »

No way the average height is 6'0; there are very few countries in the world, if any, where that is the case.
As far as i know, the last time a study was done on this, the average height of males in Ireland was was about 5'8 and a half; may have increased since then, but i doubt by more than about half an inch.
The reason that many people over-estimate their height may be down to this kind of mis-conception about average height; combined, perhaps, with some wishful thinking.

+1 I'm under 6 feet and walking down the street Im looking down on more men than Im looking up at them. I've a couple of mates taller than me, but more that are shorter. Was at a funeral a while back and being bored I noted looking around when we are standing up that I was defo in the taller percentile. And Im not tall by any definition. I'm actually the shortest male in my family. Most are above 6' mostly around 6' 3"/4". My grandmother was 6'1" and Ive female cousins that height.

panda100 wrote:

Believe me you get this 100x more from guys when your a tall girl.

Oh god yea Id say you do. My tall women rellies have often commented on it.