Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

BurnOutBrighter6 t1_j6khmuu wrote

The signal from your brain that tells your muscles to squeeze is electricity. When you squeeze all the muscles in your arm, your hand closes tightly.

So when you're electrocuted, all your muscles are just getting the SQUEEZE signal from all that electricity, louder than your brain has ever sent it before. So your muscles squeeze like crazy, locking your hand closed.

And if you try to let go, your brain's own weak electric signal saying "let go" is WAY weaker than the electric jolt yelling SQUEEZE. So you squeeze.

18

mafiaknight t1_j6kjadg wrote

That’s only half right. All muscles ARE controlled via electric impulse from the brain/nervous system, but it isn’t the “squeeze” command being given. ALL affected muscles are told to contract. Your hand has much stronger muscles for closing/gripping than for opening. (It has to overcome much greater force to hold things than to release them, so this makes perfect sense.)

8

Veritas3333 t1_j6l78ob wrote

This is why it's so easy to hold a crocodile's mouth closed!

4

Mammoth-Mud-9609 t1_j6kj0ic wrote

Same reason why some police use tasers, as it stops an attack immediately.

1