The Maya people of Guatemala are known to be among the shortest people in the world. On average, men are slightly taller than 5 feet while women are slightly shorter. However, research by biological anthropologist Barry Bogin shows that if Maya children move to the United States, they tend to grow taller. This increase in height is passed on to the next generation as well. Maya children born to Guatemalan immigrants in the US are approximately four inches taller than their peers in Guatemala.
While improved nutrition and sanitation are traditionally believed to be the reasons for increased height in immigrant communities, Bogin and other researchers suggest that social factors also play a significant role. Even wealthy children in Guatemala tend to be shorter than children in the US. Bogin argues that moving a child from one society to another, even if their lifestyle remains largely unchanged, can alter their growth trajectory to match that of children in their new community.
The proposal that height has a social component is based on evidence that genetics and nutrition alone cannot explain all variations in human height. Bogin’s research suggests that height reflects a person’s perceived social status within their community, as well as the underlying political and economic conditions of their society. Studies have shown that height disparities are wider in highly unequal societies and narrow in more egalitarian ones. When people from highly stratified countries move to more egalitarian communities, they tend to grow taller.
Some researchers are skeptical of the idea that social status can influence height. However, Bogin’s reputation as a renowned height researcher has led many to consider this theory seriously. The concept of strategic growth, where an individual’s growth adapts in response to their social environment, has been observed in various animal species and may also apply to humans.
The implications of social status influencing human growth could be profound for public health. Extreme shortness, or stunting, seen in millions of children worldwide, may be a sign of social disadvantage rather than just malnutrition. This suggests that addressing societal inequities may be more effective in dealing with stunting than solely focusing on nutrition supplementation.
Research has shown that height variations, especially those linked to class or gender, can provide insights into a society’s social order. Inequality has been associated with shorter populations overall, and these disparities tend to persist from childhood into adulthood. For example, children in more egalitarian countries are generally taller at every income bracket compared to children in less equal countries.
The debate on whether social status plays a role in human height is ongoing. While some researchers believe that height variations would disappear in a perfectly equal society, others argue that height is a complex trait influenced by a combination of genetics, nutrition, and social factors. The role of social status in human height remains a topic of interest and further research is needed to fully understand this relationship.
