Community Chat

[Venezia]

I found this interesting.  I found I could do it, if I raised my right hand in the air and out of my sight.  But if I have my hand out in front of me, so I can see it "drawing" the 6, my foot automatically follows.

[AuntG]

Neither my husband or I can do it. I have read that some pianists who are skilled at have their hands doing two completely different things can do it. 

[Jo1313]

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@SilleeMee wrote:

I cannot do it!! I tried and tried. Now I feel like a moron. 

ETA-

Maybe that should come with a warning...

...  'Caution:  can make you feel like a moron.'

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My right foot doesn't to anything correctly anymore.

[moonandthestars]

@89135  haha!  fun thing to try.   The first time I tried it was an automatic change in direction!  But I found if I really really concentrate and focus I can do it.

[Pook]

I really thought I would be able to do it because I;m ambidextrous and can even write the same thing with both hands at the same time but with one hand writing forward and the other writing backward but just could not do it.

That would be a good bar bet!

[Queen of shop]

@89135  I saw this test years ago. Couldn't do it then....and can't do it now.

[BlueFinch]

That's funny. It does work if you draw the 6 from the bottom up because you'll be going clockwise, too. 

[jubilant]

OK...those of us who couldn't do it are not as coordinated as those who could....says so right here:

Article that explains it:

If you are one of those people who were able to do it without any problem, congrats. You have some kind of superhuman coordination.

That's what I'm telling myself, anyway. My teen and young adult children were somehow able to keep their foot going clockwise. One of them is a musician and one is left-handed, so maybe that's why? Drummers and ballet dancers in the comments said they didn't have any problem with it.

As it turns out, there is a scientific explanation for why it's pretty much impossible for most of us.

The Curious Crew folks at Michigan State University explain why it works:

"The cerebellum part of the brain manages body movements, like the circling of the foot or the drawing of the number 6. However, the nerve fibers from the right side of the body cross the brain stem and connect with the left side of the brain, just as the fibers on the left side of the body connect with the right side of the brain. When you try to draw the number 6 with your right hand, those signals are coming from the left side of the brain. Even though circling your foot is easy to do in either direction, you cannot rotate your foot in the opposite motion of the drawn six at the same moment. The left side of the brain cannot manage two opposite movements in the same moment, so the brain combines the movement to a similar motion. When you switch to the left foot, there is no problem because the right side of the brain controls your foot movement, while the left side can focus on drawing the number 6."

So there you have it. The old brain controlling the two

sides of your body thing. 

SEE LADIE' S ...We are not dumb and I didn't find out anything I already hadn't known for years.  Yes. I am a Klutz!  Evidently there are a few of us here!!!!