Hysterical strength

Hysterical strength is a display of extreme physical strength by humans, beyond what is believed to be normal, usually occurring when people are in life-and-death situations. The classic anecdotal example is parents lifting vehicles to rescue their trapped children. The extra strength is commonly attributed to increased adrenaline production, though supporting evidence is scarce, and inconclusive when available. Research into the phenomenon is difficult, though it may be possible as adrenaline is known to affect muscle twitch and endurance.^[1][2] Norepinephrine is pointed as a more compelling cause of this phenomenon.

Unexpected strength is claimed to occur during excited delirium.^[3][4]

Examples

The most common anecdotal examples based on hearsay are of parents lifting vehicles to rescue their children, and when people are in life-and-death situations. Periods of increased strength are short-lived, usually no longer than a few minutes, and might lead to muscle injuries and exhaustion later. It is not known if there are any reliable scientific examples of this phenomenon.

• Before May 1962, Jack Kirby claims a woman lifted a car off her baby, which inspired him to create the Hulk.^[5][6][7]
• In 1982, in Lawrenceville, Georgia, Tony Cavallo was repairing a 1964 Chevrolet Impala automobile from underneath when the vehicle fell off the jacks on which it was propped, trapping him underneath. Cavallo's mother, Mrs. Angela Cavallo, lifted the car high enough and long enough for two neighbors to replace the jacks and pull Tony from beneath the car.^[8]
• In 2006, Ivujivik, Quebec, resident Lydia Angiyou saved several children by fighting a polar bear until a local hunter shot the bear.^[9]
• In 2006, in Tucson, Arizona, Tom Boyle watched as a Chevrolet Camaro hit 18-year-old Kyle Holtrust. The car pinned Holtrust, still alive, underneath. Boyle lifted the Camaro off the teenager, while the driver of the car pulled the teen to safety.^[8][10]
• In 2009, in Ottawa, Kansas, 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in), 84 kg (185 lb) Nick Harris lifted a Mercury sedan to help a 6-year-old girl pinned beneath.^[11]
• In 2009, in Newport, Wales, Donna McNamee, Abigail Sicolo, and Anthony McNamee lifted a 1.1 ton Renault Clio off an 8-year-old boy.^[12]
• In 2011, in Tampa, Florida, 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in), 134 kg (295 lb) University of South Florida college football player Danous Estenor lifted a 1,600 kg (3,500 lb) car off a man who had been caught underneath. The man was a tow truck driver who had been pinned under the rear tire of a 1990 Cadillac Seville, which had lurched forward as he worked underneath it. The man suffered only minor injuries.^[13]
• In 2012, in Glen Allen, Virginia, 22-year-old Lauren Kornacki rescued her father, Alec Kornacki, after the jack used to prop up his BMW slipped, pinning him under it. Lauren lifted the car, then performed CPR on her father and saved his life.^[14]
• In 2012, in Michigan, Austin Smith (age 15) lifted a car to save his grandfather pinned underneath.^[15][16]
• In 2013, in Oregon, teenage sisters Hannah (age 16) and Haylee (age 14) lifted a tractor to save their father pinned underneath.^[17]
• In 2013, in Salvage, Newfoundland and Labrador, Cecil Stuckless, a 72-year-old man lifted a Jeep to save his son-in-law pinned underneath.^[18][19]
• In 2015, in St. John's, Newfoundland, Nick Williams lifted a four-wheel-drive vehicle to save a young boy pinned beneath its tire.^[20]
• In 2017, in Temple Terrace, Florida, Kenny Franklin, lifted an SUV from a state trooper after an accident.^[21][22]
• In 2019, in Ohio, Zac Clark, a 16-year-old football player, lifted a 3,000 lb car when he heard his neighbor call for help.^[23][24]

Research

Early experiments showed that adrenaline increases twitch, but not tetanic force and rate of force development in muscles.^[25] It is questionable whether adrenaline, released from the adrenal medulla into the venous circulation, can reach the muscle quickly enough in order to be able to cause such an effect in the midst of a crisis. It may be that norepinephrine released from sympathetic nerve terminals directly innervating skeletal muscle^[26] has more of an effect over the timescale of seconds.

Starting from the amygdala, such physical response is caused by, or by a combination of, adrenaline, cortisol and endorphins, as the effective cause of hysterical strength. However, the simplest explanation is that most of the time people use but a fraction of their maximum theoretical strength, and that even said strength has its limitations, such as physical condition and body mass.^[27]

See also

• Berserker
• Furor Teutonicus
• Double-muscle mutation in humans
• Myostatin-related muscle hypertrophy, a rare genetic condition resulting in increased musculature and decreased body fat
• Muscle hypertrophy
• Superhuman strength, similar concept in comic books and other fictional characters

References