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 at the University of Michigan seem to have provided a definitive answer to the question. In one experiment, they measuredEnergy consumed by 10 people while walking And they looked at different “patterns”: swinging the arms, holding them to the sides, bending the arms and so on (Do you know why humans have eyelashes and eyebrows?).

Through testing, they find that swinging the arms appears to have a real purpose: Reduces the amount of energy needed to walk. For example, those who stretched their arms used 12% more metabolic energy than those who typically swing them—that’s how much our metabolism slows down as we age.

“The natural arm swing is the cheapest way to walkBiomedical researcher Schord Bruen said. The arms oscillate to save energy why the muscles of the limbs do not need to work very hard; Swinging the arm also helps compensate for some of the force when the leg hits the ground – by doing so It also provides energy in the legs.

On the other hand, automatically squeezing, flexing or moving your arms activates your 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 to improve their ability to walk.