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Women prefer taller men because they are better at fighting, scientists claimed May 18. A study has shown men hit hardest when striking downwards and the blows of a taller man are more powerful than the thumps of a short man。 In evolutionary terms, that makes them more useful for women, said researcher David Carrier。 He added: "From the perspective of sexual selection theory, women are attracted to powerful males, not because powerful males can beat them up, but because powerful males can protect them and their children from other males." "The results of this study are consistent with the hypothesis that our ancestors adopted bipedal posture so that males would be better at beating and killing each other when competing for females," said Carrier。 Carrier studied the power of punches by male martial arts experts and boxers as they struck out in four directions – upwards, down, sideways and forwards。 Men hit with more force when they were standing – and could punch twice as hard when they were striking downwards, he found。 Some scientists have argued that women prefer tall men because their height indicates they have "good genes"。 However, Carrier, of Utah University, disagrees. "If that were the whole story, I would expect that men would be attracted to tall women," he said. "But they're not. Men are attracted to women of average height or even shorter." | 
