lifestyle leader

Alex Tabarrok points to yet another study suggesting that, in addition to being more successful in their careers, taller people tend to be happier. According to the abstract, the vertically-endowed

...evaluate their lives more favorably, and... are more likely to report a
range of positive emotions such as enjoyment and happiness. They are also less
likely to report a range of negative experiences, like sadness, and physical
pain, though they are more likely to experience stress and anger, and if they
are women, to worry. These findings cannot be attributed to different
demographic or ethnic characteristics of taller people, but are almost entirely
explained by the positive association between height and both income and
education, both of which are positively linked to better lives.

(He also links to an article which discusses the idea of taxing tall people for this very same reason. I do not like this idea one bit.)

Note that all the measures here are relative. This does not mean that tall people are happy, just happier. Except when they are seated in small vehicles, of course.

Does this apply to societies, as well as people? Are countries full of tall people happier and more economically successful than those full of shorter people? Should the poorest countries of the world invest in growth-steroids for their children?

I'm guessing no. The effects of "tallness" are most likely dependent upon your immediate surroundings. You might be happier because you are taller than your neighbour, but how tall you are relative to someone living half-way across the world has no effect. (The same applies to income, by the way). Therefore being 5-foot-9 in Bolivia might result in higher levels of happiness than being the same height and living in the Netherlands.

Also, at what point does the curve of happiness drop off and the effect of constantly knocking one's head on doorframes result in a perma-frown?