Electricity works using potential difference to flow, from high potential to low potential, it’s exactly like how every object placed at a higher altitude will fall to the ground. In case of electricity, we consider earth or ground to be 0 (because of the massive amounts of electrons in it), since electricity in the cable is flowing from one point that is high to another point that is low (and eventually into ground) it would be happy to take any shortcut it’s given, like your body in this example. But, if the voltage difference (potential difference between two positive and negative wires are high enough and you hold both of them in your hands you could get electrocuted – – often resulting in cardiac arrhythmia)
Tl;dr electricity tries to go to ground and if you use your hands to connect both the ends, you are a shortcut it wouldn’t mind using.
When you receive a shock it is because you are touching 2 (or more) points that have different potentials (current) electricity is very similar to water in that it always wants to be level if you touch a cable with 240v and the ground which is 0v you get a shock of 240v. If you touch a cable at 240v and 230v you’ll only get a 10v, this is why you don’t get a shock when hanging from a cable both points of contact have the same potential.
Electricity has one goal – to reach the ground. When you are in contact with the wire and the ground you present a bridge for the electricity to reach its goal so it passes through you, fucking you up a bit on the way.
A bird doesn’t present a path to do the ground so electricity doesn’t give a fuck
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