The Adventurous Little Man:the Effect Of The Perception Of Height Difference On Male Risk Taking

According to the perspective of evolutionary psychology,risk-taking is important for male survival and reproduction,and body height is a symbol of male genetic quality.This study hypothesized that when men perceived being shorter than another man,they took more risks than the other.The Balloon Analogue Risk Task(BART)was used in two behavioral experiments.In study 1,the participants were randomly paired with an unfamiliar participant.We induced the perception of height difference of the subjects by comparing their heights and making them realize the height difference clearly,and then completed the BART.The results showed that men who felt shorter than their opponents scored significantly higher on risk than men who felt taller,but this phenomenon did not exist in female participants.In order to further eliminate the interference caused by the height factor in study 1,the participants participated alone in study 2,matched with a virtual competitor in the computer database,and then completed the BART.It was found that the risk scores of men who felt shorter than their opponents were significantly higher than those of the control group and those who felt higher,this phenomenon still did not exist in female.We conclude that the perception of height difference makes shorter men to recognize physical disadvantages and compensate by showing more risk-taking behaviors to demonstrate their good genetic quality.This may be an adaptive strategy for male intra-sexual selection.