Many people are considered to be short: Martin Freeman, Tyrion Lannister- (the little person on Game of Thrones, played by Peter Dinklage), and the author of this (terribly short) article. But what are the qualifications of “short?” Wikipedia says that in the United States, an individual is considered short if he or she measures under 5’2″. But man or woman, they say that what society defines as short is debatable.

There are a number of things that can lead to short stature.  The first place to look is at one’s genes. There really isn’t too much someone can do to subvert genetics, although jeans can be tailored to accommodate any height.

Outside of genetic predisposition, chronic or prolonged hormone deficiency, malnutrition, disease of a major organ system, drugs during fetal development, certain drugs for treatment of a disease, and osteoporosis can cause “Short Stature.”

Apparently, short stature could result in “sudden death.” So at any moment, I could drop dea–

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But despite all that, statistics say that short people, on average, live longer. Every additional 4 inches increases your chances for (any type of) cancer by 13%. And, we can laugh at you when you fall over: shorter people have a lower center of gravity, so less chance of falling down. And laughter is great for the body!