Why do we release objects in our hands when we unexpectedly hit something with them?

Question

Or is that just a me thing? I’ve asked a few other people and they said it happens to them, too.

In: 1

Answer 1

In essence the sudden jolt causes us to go into a mild form of survival mode. We may drop something in order to try to catch ourselves against an object like a wall or a fence, or even catch ourselves on the ground. We don’t quite register that we’re not going to fall or anything like that, it’s just the sudden shock of it all, in a subconscious reaction to reduce harm to ourselves. Somehow people holding beers are immune to this. Hopefully somebody can come in with a more scientific answer.