Humans have tunnel vision regarding their flexibility, except for the body-twisting game Twister, which occasionally broadens their perception. But barring that, generally, there's a tendency to stay within physical limitations, not stretching or flexing our extremities beyond some perceived barrier. A study from the Ruhr University Bochum, published in Communications Psychology, highlighted this by examining the wrist flexibility of its participants.

Skewed perception of body flexibility

It is not alien to anyone that the brain plays a key role in determining body image. Motor planning also stems from the brain’s perception only. So there’s an innate tendency to misjudge the body’s movements and capabilities. The researchers of this study expanded on the body flexibility understanding by assessing the flexibility of the wrist joint movement.

The study involved 84 participants who were asked to estimate how far they could move their wrists in each of the four directions. Participants either imagined these wrist movements or used an angular ruler to guess the range they thought they could reach. But when the researchers measured the participants' actual wrist mobility in four directions. In most cases, people underestimated how far they could move by about 10 degrees.

Subconsciously protecting the body

The researchers explained this gap as a protective mechanism. Lead author Dr. Artur Pilacinski described this underestimation as a safeguard that protects the body from overstretching and risking injury. It’s a built-in safeguard that promotes smaller, controlled movements to protect against potential strain. This misperception of flexibility helps people stay safe, keeps their joints healthy, and prevents pushing beyond safe limits. The brain is cautious and prevents injuries by projecting wrong estimates of body flexibility.

So again, when you are doing stretching exercises and yoga, and you are hesitant and think you can’t do it-remember it’s all in your head. Otherwise how else do you suddenly get the superpower of Elasti Girl in the game of Twisters to beat your opponents? No one likes a good challenge like the brain.

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