Blame the brain: Humans tend to underestimate physical strength

We don’t realize how physically powerful we are, new research suggests, because our brains seem to diminish our perception of the force we’re using by about 40%.

In an experiment, six adults pressed on their own finger with the opposite fingertip and then each other’s fingers, wearing a device that measured the force being applied. The pressure of the first push on another’s finger was controlled, but then the subjects were left to use their own judgment.

Researchers at University College London found that force escalated rapidly, increasing by about 38%, compared with the force the participants used on themselves.

In a second test, the subjects applied force through a joystick rather than by direct contact. This time, the perception of the force generated and the force received was more closely matched.

This may be because using the joystick bypasses the mechanism in the brain that interprets the force being applied.

The brain tends to underestimate its own actions, the researchers say, possibly because as you take action, the brain tones down the sensation of the movement to remain alert to messages from outside the body.

This study was published in the July 11 issue of the journal Science.

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-- Dianne Partie Lange