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Lying about your height

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Jamesy
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21 Jul 2023, 6:48 am

In England/UK do most people exaggerate their height by 1 or 2 inches?

From what I understand Americans inflate there height more than Europeans do.



DuckHairback
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21 Jul 2023, 6:56 am

How often does it actually come up? I mean, people can see how tall you are by looking at you, does telling people you're an inch or two taller than you are change their actual assessment of you? If I saw someone and I guessed their height as 5'4" and they told me they were 5'6" it wouldn't make any difference to me. Not that I do put a number on someone's height when I meet them. Do people do this? If someone went to the trouble of telling me their height and it seemed wildly out of kilter with my perception, I might conclude that they were a bit self-conscious about their height, but not much else.

Or are we talking about online dating profiles again? Where you have to put in your height and certain people might dismiss you as too short, or too tall based on a number? Again, what sort of person does that and why would anyone want to attract someone who'd rule out a person because they were 2 inches too short?


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TwilightPrincess
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21 Jul 2023, 6:57 am

No, most Americans don't do this. I doubt that most Europeans do, either. It's a silly thing to lie about.



Jamesy
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21 Jul 2023, 7:01 am

DuckHairback wrote:
How often does it actually come up? I mean, people can see how tall you are by looking at you, does telling people you're an inch or two taller than you are change their actual assessment of you? If I saw someone and I guessed their height as 5'4" and they told me they were 5'6" it wouldn't make any difference to me. Not that I do put a number on someone's height when I meet them. Do people do this? If someone went to the trouble of telling me their height and it seemed wildly out of kilter with my perception, I might conclude that they were a bit self-conscious about their height, but not much else.

Or are we talking about online dating profiles again? Where you have to put in your height and certain people might dismiss you as too short, or too tall based on a number? Again, what sort of person does that and why would anyone want to attract someone who'd rule out a person because they were 2 inches too short?




I know this one guy who bodybuilds and he always claims “6ft5 and 240 pounds” in person and on social media. I have met him up close in person and I have seen other guys that claim 6’5 who look taller than he does.



TwilightPrincess
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21 Jul 2023, 7:03 am

Maybe you should carry measuring tape with you and measure them when they claim they are a certain height. Then you'd know for sure whether they are lying or not.



Jamesy
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21 Jul 2023, 7:15 am

TwilightPrincess wrote:
Maybe you should carry measuring tape with you and measure them when they claim they are a certain height. Then you'd know for sure whether they are lying or not.



He did once say though he was "6ft4 1/2"



DuckHairback
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21 Jul 2023, 7:17 am

Jamesy wrote:
I know this one guy who bodybuilds and he always claims “6ft5 and 240 pounds” in person and on social media. I have met him up close in person and I have seen other guys that claim 6’5 who look taller than he does.


Well he sounds like someone who places a lot of importance on his physical appearance. I'd assume he wants people to think he's tall in the same way he wants people to think he's physically strong.

Very few people are 6'5" in the UK - they tend to stand out in a crowd. If he's actually 6'3" then that's still uncommonly tall. I don't see the point.

People notice I'm tall enough to comment on it and I'm only 6'1". But I might be lying.


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Last edited by DuckHairback on 21 Jul 2023, 7:18 am, edited 1 time in total.

Sahn
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21 Jul 2023, 7:18 am

I love these questions



Jamesy
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21 Jul 2023, 7:28 am

DuckHairback wrote:
Jamesy wrote:
I know this one guy who bodybuilds and he always claims “6ft5 and 240 pounds” in person and on social media. I have met him up close in person and I have seen other guys that claim 6’5 who look taller than he does.


Well he sounds like someone who places a lot of importance on his physical appearance. I'd assume he wants people to think he's tall in the same way he wants people to think he's physically strong.

Very few people are 6'5" in the UK - they tend to stand out in a crowd. If he's actually 6'3" then that's still uncommonly tall. I don't see the point.

People notice I'm tall enough to comment on it and I'm only 6'1". But I might be lying.



I heard its quite rare for 6ft4 guys to claim 6ft6.



TwilightPrincess
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21 Jul 2023, 7:56 am

Jamesy wrote:
TwilightPrincess wrote:
Maybe you should carry measuring tape with you and measure them when they claim they are a certain height. Then you'd know for sure whether they are lying or not.



He did once say though he was "6ft4 1/2"

People usually round up to the nearest inch if they are between inches by a 1/2 inch. If it’s below a half inch, they round down. It would be weird to say 6’4.5.



DuckHairback
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21 Jul 2023, 8:15 am

Jamesy wrote:
DuckHairback wrote:
Jamesy wrote:
I know this one guy who bodybuilds and he always claims “6ft5 and 240 pounds” in person and on social media. I have met him up close in person and I have seen other guys that claim 6’5 who look taller than he does.


Well he sounds like someone who places a lot of importance on his physical appearance. I'd assume he wants people to think he's tall in the same way he wants people to think he's physically strong.

Very few people are 6'5" in the UK - they tend to stand out in a crowd. If he's actually 6'3" then that's still uncommonly tall. I don't see the point.

People notice I'm tall enough to comment on it and I'm only 6'1". But I might be lying.




I heard its quite rare for 6ft4 guys to claim 6ft6.


I just looked it up, if you're 6'4" in the UK you're in the 99th percentile. You're not going to meet many people taller than yourself, so who are you comparing yourself to or trying to impress by lying? There's got to be diminishing returns to lying about it at increasing heights. If there are any real returns at any height.


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21 Jul 2023, 9:09 am

I don't exaggerate my height but I was surprised to learn that I've actually grown by a centimeter in the last 12 months.


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Sahn
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21 Jul 2023, 11:10 am

babybird wrote:
I don't exaggerate my height but I was surprised to learn that I've actually grown by a centimeter in the last 12 months.


Are you sure about that, maybe you just stood up better?



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21 Jul 2023, 11:49 am

Well I've been the same height since I was 15 and I went to the hospital and they measured me and I was a centimeter taller. I dunno.

I read that it can't be possible.


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Sahn
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21 Jul 2023, 12:17 pm

Maybe they rounded it down last time and rounded it up this time :idea:



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21 Jul 2023, 1:13 pm

I grew half an inch a few years ago when I went on a mission to get up to a healthy weight. My feet also got a size bigger. Now I wonder if my increase in height is hormonal/genetic. My mom grew almost two inches when she started getting premenopausal. It was bizarre. I wonder if the same thing happened to me.

As for the op, I have no idea how many people lie about their height, but it seems a really stupid thing to do because people who know you in person, know you're lying, and people who will meet you will see you're lying when it happens. Why people would do such a thing on social media is beyond me, but people will lie about the most ridiculous things now and then, I suppose. *shrugs*