"We get a lot of sales guys who want to be seen as bigger in stature." Sarin started making "elevator" shoes in 2000 and says he is selling more than ever, adding, predictably, "It's a growth area."

Walk tall - it's the short cut to success at speed-dating. In what is billed as the first study of its kind, two academics found there is no short cut to true love.

"The male celebrities who are turning to shoes that give them an extra few centimetres."

As if the vertically-challenged don't have to deal with enough (what with hemming pant legs, straining to peer over people at concerts, and struggling to reach the top shelf at grocery stores), it turns out taller people are better compensated than their shorter colleagues.

If you look at the couples around you, you find that most men are taller than their women. This isn’t just a coincidence, nor it is it as simple as taller is better, although the research does show some preference for taller men.

Do you find yourself wishing Mr. Right was just that tad bit taller? Adore your man but afraid of being the dubbed local "TomKat"?