I’m not kidding! Leg shaking is really a good habit

"Men shake their legs when they are poor, women shake their legs when they are cheap", this popular saying associates the body movement of "shaking legs" with social status, and is often used by elders to admonish children and persuade them to change the uncivilized habit of "shaking legs". So, why do people at certain moments cannot help but step on the "empty pedal"?

I can't help shaking my legs, maybe it's my emotions messing with me

In fact, leg shaking is a typical body language. When it occurs, it often means that the person shaking his legs is in a state of tension, boredom or high excitement. For example, studies have shown that during exams, anxious low-scoring candidates can't help shaking their legs, while confident high-scoring candidates don't move their legs too frequently.

To explain why people shake their legs when they are under stress, we need to start with a concept proposed by physiologist White Cannon in 1929: When animals perceive stress or threats to their survival, they release adrenaline under the action of the sympathetic nerves, which causes physiological reactions such as faster heartbeat, higher pulse, and more blood flow to the limbs. This physiological reaction helps animals respond quickly when danger comes, helping them survive better. Cannon named this concept the "fight-flight" response, or the "fight or flight" response.

Because this is a "life-saving" mechanism in which the body reacts to survival before the brain, it has helped ancient human ancestors escape from natural enemies or compete for survival resources. Therefore, it has been preserved during the long evolution and continues to accompany us secretly in various forms such as "accelerated heartbeat during quarrels", "blushing when confessing love", and "diarrhea when nervous".

When you feel bored, you will also shake your legs. Studies have shown that when the mind starts to wander, the body will also "wander" and make small movements. This may be because boredom can bring anxiety and frustration to people, causing stress hormones to accumulate, and body movements such as shaking legs, playing with hair, and spinning pens can help release stress. However, it should be noted that long-term repetition of these behaviors will form fixed habits. If you forcefully correct them at this time, it will increase the feeling of irritability.

In addition to shaking legs when in a state of anxiety, people will also shake their legs unconsciously to the rhythm of the melody when listening to their favorite music. This is because music is a special sensory stimulation that activates body movements unconsciously. In addition, researchers at the University of Oslo in Norway found that shaking legs regularly to the rhythm of music can help the brain better understand music.

Leg shaking is very comfortable and may improve the harm of sitting for a long time

Leg shaking is not only a very natural behavior, but also through leg shaking, the brain will secrete dopamine and other hormones related to pleasant emotions, producing a "refreshing" feeling.

But some people may worry about whether leg shaking will cause health hazards. In fact, properly exercising muscles through actions such as leg shaking may alleviate the harm caused by sitting for a long time.

Researchers at the University of Missouri recruited 11 volunteers and used ultrasound and blood pressure cuffs to measure the blood flow in the main arteries of each person's legs under normal circumstances. The volunteers were then asked to sit quietly at a table for three hours, keeping one leg absolutely still, while the other leg needed to shake from time to time (shake for 1 minute, and stay still for 4 minutes). The results showed that compared with the initial value, the blood flow of the stationary leg was significantly reduced, while the blood flow of the shaking leg increased.

Another study from the University of Houston found that if sedentary people effectively exercise the soleus muscle in their calves, they can also improve muscle metabolism and even improve blood sugar and blood lipids. This training is very similar to shaking legs, that is, keep sitting, relax your feet first, then lift your heels, keep your toes on the ground, and when the heels are lifted to the limit, they fall back to the ground.

However, it should be noted that the sample size of these two studies is small and can only provide limited reference value. And if you want to completely avoid the health damage caused by sitting for a long time, the best way is to stand up and move around.

In general, although the small action of shaking legs is beneficial to the body and mind in certain specific situations, you need to pay attention to the posture and occasion. After all, frequent shaking legs is a way of expressing irritability with body language, which is impolite behavior. Therefore, instead of developing the habit of shaking legs, it is better to learn scientific relaxation methods instead.