Are Millennials Losing Their Grip? New Study Shows Decreased Hand Strength

By THC Staff | June 25, 2016

 

A new study from researchers at Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina claims that millennials don’t have the same hand strength as older Americans. Through a grip and pinch test, it was discovered that 20-somethings have 10 to 20 pounds less pressure power in their hands.

This change is most likely due to the evolution of the workforce and the rise of technology in all parts of life. When one isn’t doing as much manual labor, of course, hand strength will decrease. Spending less time holding on to something weakens the muscles in the hand.

Samples were obtained from 237 people ranging in age from 20 to 34. The findings might lead many millennials to wonder — what about finger flexibility? An interesting follow-up would be to see if working with computers and touch pads at lightning speed has increased hand dexterity.

For now, it seems millennials can choose to squeeze stress balls or to not worry about how their hands are adapting to new demands.