Eli5: How come when someone is shot their body becomes completely stiff or sometimes just drops and folds completely ?

Question

Yes it’s a bit of a silly question but it has always stuck with me

In: 0

Answer 1

For the most part, they don’t. This is largely just hollywood nonsense. That said, there ARE circumstances under which the body will either go stiff or just flop to the ground.

The body’s reaction to being shot is dependent almost entirely on what gets damaged. If the brain is destroyed, the body will tend to collapse on the ground and twitch. If the spine is severed, the body will tend to go into a seizure like state. Other damage to the body will generally produce a range of reactions depending on the person’s state in that moment.

In short, it really just depends on what part of the body is damaged or destroyed.

Answer 2

For the most part, they don’t. This is largely just hollywood nonsense. That said, there ARE circumstances under which the body will either go stiff or just flop to the ground.

The body’s reaction to being shot is dependent almost entirely on what gets damaged. If the brain is destroyed, the body will tend to collapse on the ground and twitch. If the spine is severed, the body will tend to go into a seizure like state. Other damage to the body will generally produce a range of reactions depending on the person’s state in that moment.

In short, it really just depends on what part of the body is damaged or destroyed.