Lots of people want to appear taller than they actually are, usually for social or career reasons. There's plenty of research to show that tall people often have an advantage when applying for jobs or carrying out leadership and management jobs. Well, to be more accurate, people who appear to be taller often have an advantage at these things; actual height doesn't always have a lot to do with it.

There are many ways you can appear to be taller than you really are. Former French president Sarkozy favored not standing beside tall people; actor and Scientologist spokesman Tom Cruise is another fan of that technique. Sarkozy made life difficult for himself by marrying an ex-model several inches taller than himself, but if you avoid that sort of issue it can work rather well. Another simple method is to have a confident, outgoing personality; scientific studies have repeatedly shown that depending on the image someone projects, an audience can see them as several inches taller or shorter than their real height.

Dressing appropriately can create an impression of greater height. Vertical pinstripes or detailing work well, and so does avoiding breaking the body up into vertical "blocks." For women a matching jacket and skirt or a long sleek dress emphasize height, and men can add a few apparent inches by avoiding wide belts in favor of a narrow one the same color as the trousers.

High heels are an obvious solution, too. Lifting the heels by any distance adds that same distance to your height. It's been popular among women for centuries at least, and men have been doing it for nearly as long. Many dress boots have quite high heels. Of course it's quite obvious that you're wearing heels, but as a way to make a first impression it's quite effective. One downside, though, is that high heels aren't all that great for your health; if you wear them a lot you risk lower back pain, joint problems and possibly arthritis later on.

What if there was a way to get the effect of high heels without it being noticeable - and, ideally, without it being unhealthy, too? Actually there are one or two. It's possible to get shoes with built-in lifts - they look normal, but inside the sole is raised to add anything up to a couple of extra inches. You can also get lifts to fit inside standard shoes. These are wedges of rubber or high-density foam that slip in at the heels, raising the back of the foot and adding up to an inch to your height. The problem is that they're often uncomfortable, for just the same reason as high heels are; they change the way your weight is distributed and put a lot of strain on your leg muscles, joints and even spine.

If you're only looking for a couple of centimeters extra, you can get the benefits of heel lifts without the discomfort by opting for a pair of good-quality insoles. Standard insoles are usually too thin to make any difference, but by ordering custom ones you can specify that you'd like some extra height as a free bonus. Unlike heel lifts, insoles keep the whole foot supported and maintain proper weight distribution, but they can add up to two centimeters to your height - nearly an inch. If you're average height that can be enough to make you stand out that crucial little bit.

Ordering custom insoles is now easy thanks to a proprietary process developed by an online specialist. All you have to do is take three photos of each foot and fill in a quick questionnaire, and you can do that either through their website or with their free smartphone app. Image recognition and 3D printing technology will then generate a perfect model of your feet from which your insoles will be molded. Specify during the ordering process that you want some extra height and they'll take care of it for you.