Ladies...why walk with your arms folded?

This may sound very weird but it's a genuine question.I've recently become intrigued by the fact that so many women walk around with their arms folded (crossed over their belly). They do this in all kinds of situations and weather - even when it's hot.It's something I must have seen all my life but never really noticed before. Now I have noticed it I see it all the time.Men may often cross their arms, but only when they are sitting or standing still. I don't think I have ever seen a man walking with his arms folded. It would be so odd I can't even picture it. I certainly could never imagine why I would want to do it myself.Is there an evolutionary or biomechanical explanation for why so many women do this?

Yes. And I was slightly perturbed by the explanatory text below the picture:"Women often cross their arms in front of men they don’t like..."I suppose, deep down, I'd always suspected that was the answer. I just couldn't bring myself to accept it.

That's what I mean. Their arms get in the way of a great view!

You may well be right and it makes intuitive sense. The head down or hunched posture is a common feature I've noticed, but it's not always associated with a hurried walk. I've noticed a lot of women adopting this posture while ambling slowly around the supermarket with their husbands. It's rather sad that so many women should feel so insecure in such a bland environment. Can that really be the case? I assume you're talking as a medical professional and not from personal experience! In either case, I'm quite sure you are right.I did wonder if it might be a posture derived from a cradling instinct. It's a posture I think I see most commonly in younger women and teenagers. From an evolutionary point of view it would seem to make sense that women should feel very much at ease in that posture. What do you think?I'm slightly worried I may be coming across as either a misogynist or pervert, or both.

That's a relief, because by definition none of us can be perverts if we are all the same.But I get your point.

We can't ALL be perverts!Any heterosexual man who didn't want a woman to grab their penis would be a pervert - because there must be something very wrong with them!

Now you're turning me on!

Yes. Definitely seems to be skinnier women. Taller too.(???)Didn't realise you were of the female persuasion til I raised this topic. So at least I've learnt something.

I'm quite tall. So I get elbows in vulnerable places.

Well it is always cold in the UK!Someone else previously suggested it could be a cultural thing, as British women love to walk around in cold weather wearing next to nothing. Perhaps they just get in the habit of adopting this posture even when they're not cold.But I don't think it is uniquely British. If you consider Ringo's point below, I'm sure you'll find it easier to recall having seen this before. (And it kind of re-inforces my suspicion that this could be linked to a cradling instinct.)

Good for you! And if I were a typical male I'd say: "good for the rest of us, too!"Good for the rest of us, too! Make sure you record some statistics. I think there's definitely a Nobel Prize in this somewhere. I'm willing to share the glory with all participants at EVC.

Good work! Obviously an alien trying to impersonate a male of our species and making an amateur mistake! Of course, I didn't mean to claim it was a high percentage of women who adopt this pose, or that they do it a high percentage of the time. From your observations so far we obviously can't conclude yet that it is a particularly female characteristic.Look forward to hearing what you observe tonight. Enjoy the movie.

I agree. Maybe we should cut our losses.I went to the supermarket last night.Out of maybe around 200 people, I saw 1 woman walking with her arms crossed (while holding a shopping basket).I also saw another of those aliens making the mistake of walking with his arms crossed while impersonating a human male. It was in the chiller section, so it seems likely that the aliens come from a warm planet.I think my original theory may be falling apart. And I can't really get excited about this new evidence of alien imposters.

I'm sure you are right.The problem is now all I can see is men walking in this manner - I just saw another one at lunchtime!The beautifully balanced view of the universe that I once held where women walked around clutching imaginary babies and men walked around clutching imaginary spears has collapsed.Chaos rules.