Why can’t people let go when they’re being electrocuted?
In: 10
your muscles are contracting depending on how hard you’re being shocked, so you cant let go
Muscles are told to fire by the electrical impulse that comes from the body’s own nervous system.
The electricity coming from the electrocution source is more powerful than the body that any impulse to open is not received.
The hand in particular has a design which favors the closing motion and not the motion to open. Both sets of muscles are stimulated at the same time by the electrocution source but the closing muscles hold the object in the hand.
If the current is DC, the current causes all muscles to contract. This closes your hand and prevents you from letting go.
If the current is AC, the muscles spasm, and you probably will let go.
In power stations and such, high-voltage direct current is common, and a short can electrify almost any piece of metal. To protect themselves workers brush the back of their hands against metal objects before using them. This way, if the muscles contract, they will violently remove your hand from the object, not grab it.
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.
Electricity forces your muscles to contract, Which means whatever you are holding you cannot let it go whilst it is running through you still. It’s involuntary.