Why do our hands naturally move back and forth while walking?

Question

Was just on a walk and it crossed my mind

In: Biology

Answer 1

Your arms work as a counterbalance to the movement of your legs and body. As you move body parts around your center of gravity moves around and you naturally move other body parts to try and keep your balance. You can still walk without moving your arms, but its less efficient and tiring since now you need to use different muscles and posture to try and retain your balance.