Why do we move our arms when we walk? Science has been searching for the answer for years

There are many answers that science has answered definitively over the years, searching for a solution to a dilemma that left our ancestors confused; There are certainly many unanswered answers. for example , Because when we walk we move our arms too?

In 2009, researchers from the University of Michigan seem to have provided a definitive answer to the question. In one experiment they measuredEnergy used by 10 people while walking And they analyzed different “patterns”: arms swinging, keeping them to the sides, arms bent and so on (do you know why humans have eyelashes and eyebrows?).

Through testing, they then discovered that swinging the arms seemed to have a real purpose: Reduces the amount of energy needed to walk. For example, those who straightened their arms used 12% more metabolic energy than those who swing them normally — that’s how much our metabolism declines as we age.

The natural arm swing is the cheapest way to walkBiomedical researcher Schord Bruen said. Swinging your arms saves energy why the muscles of the limbs do not have to do a lot of work; Swinging the arm also helps compensate for some of the force when the leg hits the ground – doing so Also save energy in the legs.

On the other hand, clenching or flexing the arms or moving spontaneously activates the muscles and takes more energy than necessary. In fact, researchers have learned how to exploit the effects of swinging the arms to allow patients with Parkinson’s disease or stroke damage to improve their ability to walk.

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