

Why do engineers shake their legs behind a desk?? - hkh

It is just me or is it that when engineers are programming and sitting behind a desk, they constantly shake their legs??
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Cacti
Geez... why would this have anything to do with "engineers"?

Engineers are not some special creature.

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skopp
Whaat? I had a stint in college studying Mechanical Engineering. You have to
basically chain yourself to a desk and become an actual recluse-hermit mutant
creature if you want to get through. I'd say that's pretty 'special' - in a
certain context.

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stevenameyer
It's a habit some people have. When I'm really trying to get a lot of
programming down I am trying to shut out distractions so I can focus on what
I'm doing. For me this means having everything just so, my monitors a certain
way, programs laid on it a certain way, headphones on, music loud, some sort
of snack and drink right next to me. Anything that seems off bothers me and
I'm sure I do some weird things physically while I'm programming, likely move
around to the music I'm listening to, but I don't really think about it. Thats
just what I do when I'm trying to shut everything out. People who shake their
leg likely aren't thinking about it, it just happens.

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trebor
I think it's a combination of factors, one of which might be that the
lymphatic system requires motion to cause it to flow (it has no "pump"). So
"fidgeting" feels good.

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techdmn
I think leg shaking is mostly harmless, the habits I worry about are:

1) Constant muttering stream of expletives.

2) Unconsciously drumming along on my desk to whichever song I happen to be
listening to while waiting for code to compile / servers to start / etc.

I don't think I actually do either very often, but I worry about it. ;)

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ddmf
I find that the first option mixed with an extreme amount of self deprecation
is like taking a riding crop to the part of my brain that works really well.
Unlike the rest which is a procrastitative mess.

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chewxy
Amazing how you can almost always find a relevant xkcd: <http://xkcd.com/228/>

(also, why is this on the front page?)

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thelukester
Brilliant! How do you guys always manage to find the relevant ones? There's
hundreds of them, and I tried a few google searches using site:xkcd.com and
some related terms and couldn't pull up this one.

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fakeer
It's an art. You are either born with or have to learn it "the hard way". ;-)

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skopp
Kinda like spitting (with high initial thrust and decent precision). Or doing
a double-snap thingy with your thumb or other extremity.

I was born capable of all three. I still wonder if I'm destined for Great
things, or just a freak

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fakeer
Either way you must have made a name for yourself in your circle and more. I
envy you for the 'snapping' prowess. However, as far as spitting goes I might
qualify to be a master _spiter_ (please read as in _sniper_ ).

By the way, just high initial thrust and precision are not enough you have to
got to use the ammo in the right amount w.r.t. distance and all. Not to
mention you have to mind wind conditions, otherwise the drop might land at
someone standing/sitting/moving near by.

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skopp
" Not to mention you have to mind wind conditions..." I can calculate the
vector angle, wind considered, to almost 0.99% accuracy. Zero dot nine nine,
my friend. While driving on the freeway.

"...otherwise the drop might land at someone standing/sitting/moving near by."
But then there's no reason to spit in the first place, is there?

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awjr
I don't shake my legs.

Once in a while I scratch my balls (subtlety). I have found women in the
office don't scratch their balls. They adjust their bra straps. Unfortunately
I don't wear a bra, otherwise I'd join in. There do seem to be a lot of moles
on people around here though. There also appear to be a lot of sex toys around
(It's where I work, see my profile).

What I'm getting at is that you are asking an environmental specific question.
You probably find that the 'leg shaker' has a higher metabolic rate or is
possibly on the thin side (studies have shown some people are thin because
even when sitting, they keep moving).

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skopp
Did a survey once on the balls thing. We concluded that 100% of women don't
ever scratch their balls

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mbeattie
It isn't just engineers... Everyone does this. It's just a habit that people
have like pen clicking or nail biting.

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skopp
I do it. I think it sort of gives me a sense of comfort. But it seems to run
in the family - on my father's side. My dad shakes his leg. As do my brother
and yours truly. My paternal grandfather is a leg-shaking champion. I can't
say for sure, as he is dead, but I'm pretty sure my paternal grandfather's
father would out-leg-shake us all combined.

And then, on my mother's side, nobody I can think of does it. My mother hates
leg-shaking. I try to be decent about it when she's in the room. Fortunately,
my wife - who doesn't approve of legshaking, and seldom shakes a leg - doesn't
really give me grief about it. Guess she's written me off as a leg-shaker, and
accepted it as one of "those" things.

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coldtea
> _It is just me or is it that when engineers are programming and sitting
> behind a desk, they constantly shake their legs??_

It's just you. I've worked in several teams and maybe one in five does that.
So no "engineers" as in "the majority of them".

Occasionally of course (once an hour or a couple of hours), all do it and
SHOULD do it. For the same reasons you are told to do it in an airplane.
Thrombosis et all.

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skopp
Can someone pie chart this?

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razibog
Engineers usually drink a lot of coffee / tea, thus are hyperactive lots of
the time. A lot of them are nervous, have a tick, find it relaxing. Sitting in
the same position for hours on end also does not help.

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racbart
For me it's not only shaking legs behind a desk. It's also walking in circles
when talking on the phone. It's also doing something with my hands when I'm
not at the computer (preferably with some item like pen or phone or anything
what's nearby).

I consider it as a soft version of light ADHD, but I doubt it has anything to
do with my profession. It might be the other way around - I chose a profession
where I create new things because of that trait (which might also be connected
to me being easily exited about new things).

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codegeek
nothing to do with being an engineer. My dad does it and he is not an
engineer. I guess it is just a habit.

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shanghai_noodle
I've made a google form to record every time my coworker sitting less than a
meter away from me does something annoying (such as make "chugga-chugga-
chugga-chugga" noises and whistle). I'm not proud of it but it keeps me sane.

Link if you're curious

[https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/gform?key=0Amo8gQTQJ0Nbd...](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/gform?key=0Amo8gQTQJ0NbdFJqNnZ6RXNFT3lmd1pLQmxveU92TlE&gridId=0#chart)

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otikik
Venous and/or lymphatic systems use muscular contraction and movement for
fluidity. It is specially important to counter gravity. The "need to move your
lower extremities" is a natural instinct.

So it's not "an engineers thing". I'd say it's not even a "humans thing". Try
"animals" (with lower extremities and veins and/or lymphs).

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor or a vet.

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akx
Nope, I don't do that.

I have a neighboring coworker who does, though, which can get annoying as it
ends up making my monitor shake too.

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skopp
I swear, I was shaking my legs when I read this. I'm a "software engineer" -
you didn't specify which type of engineer. I just had to comment because it
felt like you were talking to me; like in some of those weird movies - "You!
Yes, you - there's no one else in the room. YOU, the one leg-shaking. Listen
up..." - kinda thing

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jonvideo
Their brains work at a high rate and it puts the brain on an additional task
to slow their processing rate as not to cause a jam up in the firing of the
neurons. They would shake their hands (and some do tap) but they use them for
writing. This is not a joke, this is why some of them do this.

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Mamady
I wondered about this for years - because I do it all the time.

The answer finally came to me from trial and error of something else. This is
caused by caffeine - usually from coffee. Engineers dring lots of coffee, so
often suffer from this. It is a type of "jittering".

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uriloran
Maybe that's the answer for you. I nearly never drink any coffeine and still
do it since my childhood.

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skopp
Gawd I love coffeine

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DrinkWater
I am surprised people comment on this "question" including me. Engineers are
strange people.

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moron4hire
Uh, engineers are just people. They aren't any different from other people in
the wild.

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DrinkWater
That was sarcasm. I know we are just regular people. But the question implies
we are aliens.

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moron4hire
ah. sorry.

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skopp
Are you available for hire this weekend?

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jvzr
I do, but I'm not an engineer. My brother does too and he actually is an
engineer, though. I guess it depends.

I've noticed I'm more prone to nervously shake my legs (usually one at a time)
when I'm being overly creative.

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dphnx
My girlfriend does this and she's not programming or engineering-minded.

It's just a habit that people seem to have adopted lately – we see other
people do it and pick it up because it's comforting.

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o4tuna
It's Klein syndrome. You can see a rather severe case at:

    
    
       http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0L6t0xh-Dc
    

(Warning: video may not be suitable for all audiences.)

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canadev
No real answer to add, but when I was younger I used to play chess pretty
regularly.

At every tournament there would be people shaking their legs like crazy under
their tables.

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manfredz
To burn extra calories!

You'd be surprised how much the energy required for such a small movement,
performed continuously over longer periods, adds up over time.

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Maven911
Some people have restless leg syndrome, some are more productive this way
(think of a clicking pen for some), some have anxiety and need to diffuse it

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jstelly
Restless leg syndrome has some correlation with caffeine as well.
<http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001810/>

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norswap
I do it mostly when I'm slightly stressed: close to the deadline or something
like that. It's very unconscious.

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factorialboy
Don't do that. But I switch about once an hour between sitting down and stand
up desk.

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eran_rl75
I do - and most of my team do the same :) Funny that you mention it..

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andyhmltn
I do it just because it helps me focus for some bizarre reason.

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petercooper
IAMA under-desk leg jiggler, AMA. (P.S. I also chew pens.)

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fakeer
Yuck!

Or maybe okay. I chewed few when I was in school. Was spanked without mercy
and the spanking got rid me of the habit. Can't complain.

Q: Any favourite colours or flavours? Fountain or ball pen?

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petercooper
Any pen that's going, really, other than if they're metal (impossible to chew)
or seemingly poisonous (e.g. dry markers). No real preference, although I tend
to regret chewing biros as they shatter into pieces easily.

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bertomartin
I thought everyone did this, nuh? -_-

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sentinel
someone's quitting smoking i see

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uriloran
I never smoked and still doing that sometimes. Think it's just a habit and it
has nothing to do with engeneers. My dad does it too, but isn't an engeneer.

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jgrahamc
I don't.

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fakeer
Fret not. It's normal. I do it too. And I did it when I was not an engineer.
As a primary school student and then as a secondary and then college student.

I think it's good for us engineers. It gets us little bit of movement for
otherwise immobile ourselves.

I even move around my legs and I stretch it a lot and when stretching I forget
that my workstation switch is right in the corner and I switch the entire damn
thing off once or twice a month - that was the reason I had to get my (our
corp) backup settings on my PC modified to a little more frequent period (15
mins from an hr).

Happy shaking!

