Grow taller visually
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The head should not appear large in relation to the body

The head should not appear large in relation to the body

On which picture does a person appear taller?

A person with a smaller head relative to their stature is perceived as taller than a person with a larger head

Scientists showed similar pictures to participants and found that the person on the left appears taller. In reality, their height is the same, only the size of the head differs.

When assessing height, we consider the ratio of head height — from the chin to the crown — to the entire stature.

On average, the height of an adult person is approximately 8 of their heads, while in younger age, the head is proportionally larger.1

Changes in head size with age in men
Image. Body proportions of men at birth, 2 years old, 6, 12, 25 years old.
Changes in head size with age in women
Image. Body proportions of women at birth, 2 years old, 6, 12, 25 years old.

bodies with proportionally larger heads could be perceived as less mature and, thusly, shorter 2

Research shows that taller individuals have a smaller head-to-body ratio, while shorter individuals have a larger ratio.3 For example, at a height of 170 cm, the average head size for men is 22.4 cm (1/7.6), while at 177 cm, it is 22.1 cm (1/8).

Practical recommendations

  • Our goal is to create a head-to-height ratio of about 1/8 as much as possible. Don’t make your head too small, as it reduces attractiveness, especially for men.4
  • Adjust your hairstyle. If you have a large head, avoid voluminous hairstyles and long beards. You may visually reduce the size of your face with bangs and a small amount of stubble, as covering facial outlines narrows its appearance.5
  • Wear shoes that increase your height. With longer legs, your head will appear smaller, and your overall height will appear taller.

  1. Bogin, B., & Varela-Silva, M. I. (2010). Leg Length, Body Proportion, and Health: A Review with a Note on Beauty. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 7(3), 1047–1075. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph7031047 ↩

  2. Lee, Michael P., EXPLORING ILLUSIONS OF HEIGHT IN SUIT DESIGN (2018). Theses and Dissertations–Psychology. 134. https://doi.org/10.13023/ETD.2018.158 ↩

  3. Mather, G. (2010). Head – Body Ratio as a Visual Cue for Stature in People and Sculptural Art. Perception, 39(10), 1390–1395. https://doi.org/10.1068/p6737 ↩

  4. D.E. Re, D.I. Perrett, Concordant preferences for actual height and facial cues to height, Personality and Individual Differences, Volume 53, Issue 7, 2012, Pages 901-906, ISSN 0191-8869, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.07.001. ↩

  5. Morikawa, Kazunori, Geometric Illusions in the Human Face and Body, in Arthur G. Shapiro, and Dejan Todorovic (eds), The Oxford Compendium of Visual Illusions (New York, 2017; online edn, Oxford Academic, 22 June 2017), https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199794607.003.0026, accessed 11 Sept. 2023. ↩

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