Theory of 'Napoleon complex' is debunked

Napoleon, Stalin and Franco had more in common than being tyrants and dictators. They were all rather on the short side and helped to engender the belief that men of below average height were more aggressive than their taller peers.

But now the so-called Napoleon complex or Short Man Syndrome - which determines that 80 per cent of the population believe that small men are angry - has been put to the test by scientists who have established that, on average, it is tall men who are more likely to become the aggressor in conflicts. The research is likely to be welcomed by shorter men, who have complained that they face discrimination and more challenges in life than their taller compatriots. Research has shown that shorter men tend to earn less and are deemed less attractive to women, although the three-times married Tom Cruise might disagree with the estimate that for every inch shorter you are, 5 per cent fewer women will find you attractive.

In research conducted for a BBC3 programme, Fuck Off, I'm Small, the University of Central Lancashire told 10 men below 5ft tall, and 10 men of average height, that they were going to be tested for their physical attributes, reaction times and hand-eye co-ordination. In fact, they were participating in an aggression experiment called the Chopstick Game, the world's first test for Short Man Syndrome. Paired in different heights, they duelled across tables with wooden sticks, but one of the subjects had been briefed to deliberately provoke the other by hitting him across the knuckles.

Contrary to Short Man Syndrome expectations, heart monitors attached to the participants showed that it was taller men who reacted more aggressively.

Dr Mike Eslea, the psychologist from the university who led the research said: "The results were consistent with the view that Small Man Syndrome is a myth. When people see a short man being aggressive, they are likely to think it is due to his size, simply because that attribute ... grabs their attention.

"But really it makes no more sense to say that, for example, Dennis Wise, [the footballer], is aggressive because he is small, than it would to say that Robbie Savage [also a footballer] is aggressive because he has blond hair." Wise, manager of Leeds United, was a player with Millwall, Chelsea and Wimbledon, and noted for his aggressive presence. Savage, who plays for Blackburn Rovers, is also known for being a forceful player.

A BBC documentary, part of the Body Image series, was screened on Tuesday night and followed the 4ft 8in stuntman and actor Paul Lowe as he demonstrated how difficult life was for short people.

Among the issues highlighted in the programme was the somewhat embarrassing problem that Mr Lowe often encounters when he visits a public lavatory: he cannot reach the urinal. Now that would make you angry.

The short...

Napoleon Bonaparte

Psychologist Alfred Adler named the "Napoleon complex" after him. Historians disagree as to whether he was 5ft 2in (158cm) or 5ft 6in tall.

Josef Stalin

According to police records from 1902, the Russian despot measured "2 archin, 41/2 vershoks". An archin is 28 inches and a vershok 1.75 inches, suggesting he was 5' 4".

Josef Goebbels

The Minister of Propaganda and Public Entertainment in Nazi Germany - nicknamed "the malicious dwarf" - was 5ft 5in.

... and the tall of it

Saddam Hussein

The former Iraqi dictator, notorious for mass killings, inter-party "cleansings" and murderous whims, towered over most of his rivals at 6ft 2in.

Idi Amin

At 6 ft 4in, the former president of Uganda was as tall as his regime was brutal. His 10th son, Jaffar, once said most of his brothers were taller than their father.

Osama Bin Laden

The al-Qa'ida leader is described by the FBI as being tall - 6ft 41/2 - and thin, weighing in the region of 165 lbs (75kg).