This study was designed to investigate the relationship between height and self-esteem, and to examine the mediating effects of self-consciousness. Four hundred and seventy-nine college students, 143 males and 336 females, 75% under the age of 21, were administered The Personal Opinion Survey which consisted of demographic information, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Elkind and Bowen's Imaginary Audience Scale. Findings revealed a nonlinear relationship between height and self-esteem. Further, self-consciousness emerged as a significant mediator of the relationship between height and self-esteem, accounting for the difference in male and female self-esteem scores. Moreover, the influence of self-consciousness on the height and self-esteem relationship was revealed greatest for females.

Despite the obvious importance attached to the psychological significance of height and weight in everyday life, few researchers have studied the relationship of these variables to the sales performance of ordinary life insurance salesmen. In the present study, it was hypothesized that (1) taller and/or heavier ordinary life insurance salesmen are more successful than shorter and/or lighter ordinary life insurance salesmen; (2) those who possess more "ideal statures" are more successful than those who do not; and, secondarily, (3) life insurance companies tend to hire taller and/or heavier applicants for life insurance sales positions. The results of this study offer further support for the view that many sales managers and recruiters tend to believe that "the bigger they are, the better," and to select applicants accordingly, with the qualification that in this sample, female agents were taller, but lighter than average. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the life insurance industry and future investigations.