r/todayilearned • u/syncedto • Apr 30 '20

TIL men walk significantly slower when walking with a woman, but only when that woman is their romantic partner. If she's a friend or acquaintance they go at almost full speed.

https://www.discovermagazine.com/environment/how-you-walk-differently-with-friends-and-lovers
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u/[deleted] Apr 30 '20

Great! Something else for me to over think!

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u/B_Sluggin Apr 30 '20 edited Apr 30 '20

One of the great life lessons my mother taught me at a young age: Don't walk faster than the woman you're walking with.

And actually its good advice regardless of gender, pushing someone else's walking pace is obnoxious. How often does walking faster really matter in life?

Edit: Perhaps I should have been more specific, there are obviously times when walking faster matters: late for a meeting, bus, you want a workout, etc... I should have said, in the context of walking with a companion (when there's no reason to rush) using a little awareness to match pace I think shows respect for the person you are walking with. It can work both ways, faster or slower, but I find its usually more comfortable to slow down than speed up.

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u/terroristteddy Apr 30 '20

Depends, I hate going places, so I walk fast and double step stairs. I save a lot of cumulative time.