• Question: How does our balance work and why are some people better at it than others?

    Asked by soggysheepy to Andrew, Janey P, Kinda, Ravi, SarahJane on 19 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Andrew Manches

      Andrew Manches answered on 19 Jun 2013:

      Strangely it has to do with our ears. We have fluid in our ears and can detect changes when we tilt to help us balance. It’s why some people can totally lose their balance with an ear infection.

    • Photo: Kinda Al-Hourani

      Kinda Al-Hourani answered on 20 Jun 2013:

      Our sense of balance works by our brains combining signals from three different sources. Firstly, our ears contain some curved tubes filled with fluid (the “semi-circular canals”). The direction that this liquid sloshes about in when we move tells us about our head’s position and the speed and direction at which it is turning.

      Secondly, we have tiny sensors inside our joints and muscles which detect how much they have stretched, and this helps our brain to understand where our body parts are in relation to each other (essential for staying on two feet!).

      Finally, our eyes are essential for letting us know where we are compared to the world around us, allowing us to adjust our position accordingly.

      Amazingly, our brains sense and process all of this information without us ever really noticing, until we have an ear infection or take a ride on an roller coaster…

    • Photo: Sarah-Jane Walsh

      Sarah-Jane Walsh answered on 25 Jun 2013:

      Did you know fish need to balance too! When parent fish are stressed they produce a stress hormone called cortisol. This has been linked to causing a syndrome called ‘Wonky Ears’ in their offspring caused by asymmetrical ears, this can affect the way they swim and their hearing which means they may not be able to find their way to reefs to become adults!

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