Why does it hurt more to fall on concrete than on a soft mattress?
Soft Landing Secrets
Why does it hurt more to fall on concrete than on a soft mattress?
Picture two falls, exactly the same. Same person, same height, same little "oof" on the way down. One lands on a soft mattress and bounces up grinning. The other lands on cold concrete and definitely does not grin. Same fall, very different ending. So what's actually going on?
When you fall, you build up something called motion energy — the energy of moving fast. Gravity has been quietly speeding you up the whole way down. By the time you reach the ground, you're carrying a real load of it. And here's the rule: when you stop, that energy has to go somewhere. It can't just vanish.
