Are You Holding Your Coffee Cup Wrong? Science Says You Are
How we hold our coffee cups is probably the last thing we think of as we pour our first cup in the morning. However, according to science, nearly all of us are holding our coffee cup incorrectly.
The way we hold our cup can drastically impact the amount of coffee we spill while we traverse to our favorite seat from the coffee pot. Everyone has experienced the painful sensation of coffee dribbles dripping on the hands while walking from the coffee maker to the next destination. It happens every time, whether it is the first cup of the day or the last. When the drops don’t land on flesh, they tend to leave a trail on the floor.
As hard as we try, the contents of the cup, usually coffee or tea, spill with each and every step. There seems to be no way around it.
That is, until a group of South Korean scientists chose to approach the issue and finally figure out why the coffee spills as we walk and how to avoid it from happening in the future.
You’ve been holding your coffee cup all wrong https://t.co/KEAFDLfH7q pic.twitter.com/S4iQBWTIc1
— The Independent (@Independent) August 12, 2016
According to Metro, the group of South Korean scientists endured many lab experiments, including test walks with cups full of coffee and tea. During the walks, the scientists held the coffee cups in various positions with their hands in an attempt to finally figure out why the coffee spills as we walk.
After much time was spent on the research, they found that the answer was actually pretty simple, yet difficult to correct.
Based upon the various trials, and errors, it was found that the issue is simply the way we are holding the coffee cups as we walk. During the testing, the scientists not only held the cup in various ways, but also changed the way they walked, including walking backwards. Although it may seem crazy, the process of collecting enough data to ensure the proper cup carrying method required a plethora of cup holding and walking combinations, as well as an ungodly amount of spilled coffee.
It seems the handle on the coffee cup has tricked everyone into believing that it is meant to be used as the method in which the cup is carried. However, if you use the handle as you imagine it should be used, the coffee inside splashes against the walls of the coffee cup, thus forcing it to spill on the outside of the cup, splashing the hot liquid onto our hands and creating the trail upon the floor.
The Week revealed that the proper way to hold your coffee cup while walking is to place your hands at the top of the cup and grasping it firmly with the fingers. The new way of holding the coffee cup allows more stability as the carrier is walking, thus preventing the splashing from occurring and saving the carrier’s skin and floors.
Holding my cup wrong like the anime character I was meant to be pic.twitter.com/VofRsmMnYQ
— Ezra (@cfvyshop) March 7, 2015
Utilizing the “claw grip” not only allows for better stability, but also allows the individual to grasp the top of the cup that is not heated by the hot coffee inside. The steam from the coffee is not expected to be an issue, since the person means to drink the coffee or tea inside.
Holding the coffee cup in the new way will take some time to get used to. It may seem awkward and unsteady at first. However, once the individual gets used to it, the handle seems to no longer be needed at all.
What are your thoughts on the claw grip?
[Image via Africa Studio/Shutterstock]
