This indicates that taller soldiers are more likely to survive the war than shorter soldiers. Those who are taller survive the war and return home. People with short stature die there. But you may be wondering what this height has to do with having a baby boy?
Thiruvananthapuram, First Published Jun 20, 2022, 12:00 PM IST
The world has witnessed wars for decades. Scientists say a phenomenon related to these wars is emerging. This phenomenon is known as the ‘Returning Soldier Effect’. The ‘Returning Soldier Effect’ refers to the fact that more boys are born than girls during and after the Great Wars. Although scientists believe this, no definitive explanation has yet been found for how this happens.
It is one of the many factors that influence the sex ratio of human beings. The phenomenon was first introduced to the world in 1883 by Karl Dossing of the University of Geneva in Germany. This phenomenon was first noticed in the United States in 1954 during World War II. Most of the white children born that day were boys. Wars continued after that. This phenomenon was repeated in many of them.
Scientists believe that this phenomenon is related to genes and height. It was also among the British soldiers who fought in the First World War. Comparing the physical characteristics of British soldiers who survived or died in the war, it was found that those who survived the war and returned home were taller than the dead. The average height of surviving soldiers was 66.4 inches. The height of the dead soldiers was 65.5 inches. According to the physical characteristics recorded in those years, the surviving soldiers averaged about an inch taller than the dead soldiers.
This indicates that taller soldiers are more likely to survive the war than shorter soldiers. Those who are taller survive the war and return home. People with short stature die there. But you may be wondering what this height has to do with having a baby boy? According to Psychology Today, taller parents are more likely to have boys than taller parents. So, they write, an inch difference in height increased the chance of having a son by five percent.
In addition, one-third of the British were stationed during World War I. Therefore, those five percent did the result of fifty percent. When taller soldiers who were likely to have sons survived the war and returned home, most of the taller soldiers died without surviving the war. Their chances of returning home were slim. It is speculated that this may be the reason why more boys are born during and after the war.
However, very authentic or complete information about this is not yet available.
Last Updated Jun 20, 2022, 12:00 PM IST
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