Why do humans spread their arms while jumping off things?

[Padawanbater2]

I sat here and watched multiple clips of different people jumping off high things, all of them spread their arms out while they jump

Why?

Is it for excess balance during the fall, like cats, or is it an instinctual reaction, like birds?

I'm guessing, since our evolution is more closely related, it's for balance, like cats.. But what do you think, and why?

 

[bearkat42]

I'm going to say balance. I remember jumping off things (as a youngster, lol) and I'm pretty sure that's why I did it.

 

[anzohaze]

I agree to aid in balance. But also for the feel of freedom while falling

 

[bearkat42]

Then again, maybe I just thought that it looked cool!

 

[Indagrow]

Balance.

Also I love when people are falling back heavy and start rolling the windows down haha

 

[Geronimo420]

I sat here and watched multiple clips of different people jumping off high things, all of them spread their arms out while they jump

Why?

Is it for excess balance during the fall, like cats, or is it an instinctual reaction, like birds?

I'm guessing, since our evolution is more closely related, it's for balance, like cats.. But what do you think, and why?

You should try a few jumps with your arm tight against your body to find out

 

[Grandpapy]

^^^^ lol Geronimo!


Ladder starts to tip back, back, back........ bird or cat?

Cat, 8 more lives.

 

[Milovan]

I sat here and watched multiple clips of different people jumping off high things, all of them spread their arms out while they jump

.
Some also spread out just their legs when jumping!
.

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[Glaucoma]

I sat here and watched multiple clips of different people jumping off high things, all of them spread their arms out while they jump

Why?

Is it for excess balance during the fall, like cats, or is it an instinctual reaction, like birds?

I'm guessing, since our evolution is more closely related, it's for balance, like cats.. But what do you think, and why?

Cats don't extend their limbs for balance when they fall, they do it to rotate their body so they land feet first while having zero angular momentum. First they extend their hind legs and tuck their front legs to twist the front half around, then tuck their hind legs and extend their front legs to twist the back half around.

Science is awesome.

 

[h0m3gr0wn]

it's for Dynamic stability .Take sky diving for example. You spread your arms and feet to make an Arrow. If the arrow starts to flip sideways, the air resistance against the fletching is greater than the resistance at the nose, and the arrow automatically goes back to its initial orientation. Likewise, skydivers don't want to be tumbling end over end and out of control, so they trail their arms and feet behind them to act like the feathers on the arrow.

 

[georgio838]

its a futile attempt to save ones life in the most desperate of situations hoping that somehow...flapping our arms can actually work like bird wings...probably hardwired into our brains from when at some time in history we actually had feathers?...

 

[Glaucoma]

its a futile attempt to save ones life in the most desperate of situations hoping that somehow...flapping our arms can actually work like bird wings...probably hardwired into our brains from when at some time in history we actually had feathers?...

I agree with the first part. They probably do it because they don't know what else to do with their arms.

 

[simply_slide]

My son does it when startled. He's a baby so it must be instinctual... in my open.

I also agree balance as it is also instinctual to maintain balance

 

[hellmutt bones]

Mab we have a natural instinct to fly??

 

[MoMoGrows]

We used to be dragons. Explains heartburn too.

 

[heckler73]

Because BREASTS.

 

[Heisenberg]

I think it's the body's reaction to finding itself suddenly not in control. It's a form of grasping for straws.

 

[GrowUrOwnDank]

Balance.

Also I love when people are falling back heavy and start rolling the windows down haha

It works.

 

[Indagrow]

It works.

Commit to the gainer with style

 

[justugh]

I sat here and watched multiple clips of different people jumping off high things, all of them spread their arms out while they jump

Why?

Is it for excess balance during the fall, like cats, or is it an instinctual reaction, like birds?

I'm guessing, since our evolution is more closely related, it's for balance, like cats.. But what do you think, and why?

monkey see monkey do .....we try to mimic other animals as we see how they do it safely .....and most apes do it as it increases the chance they are able to grab something and swing