Sweaty palms vs sweaty hands?

December 31, 2021 4:33 AM

Please adjudicate a trivial disagreement.

While I think sweaty palms is the normal situation, based on references in literature, my partner thinks that’s unusual, and his “sweaty back of the hands” is the normal human situation.

I think he’s weird, like really, his palms will be DRY and the back of his hands sweaty. He says, “sure, sweaty palms is the expression, but that’s because it’s unusual.”

And thus we turn to you, the good people of metafilter, to ask what is normal?

posted by ec2y to Health & Fitness (16 answers total)

You are right, "sweaty palms" is the normal situation.

I only get "sweaty backs of hands" if all of me is extraordinarily sweaty.
posted by Klipspringer at 4:44 AM on December 31, 2021 [12 favorites]

Sweaty palms matter because they make it harder to grip things. I encourage you to ask your friend, when they are sweaty, to try to do a pull-up on a metal bar. In fact, climbers and weightlifters use special powder just to counteract sweaty palms that interfere with their grip.

"Look If you had One shot Or one opportunity To seize everything you ever wanted
In one moment Would you capture it Or just let it slip?

His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy
There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti"
posted by bbqturtle at 4:46 AM on December 31, 2021 [3 favorites]

You are right, your friend is wrong and also sweats weirdly.
posted by Too-Ticky at 5:14 AM on December 31, 2021 [30 favorites]

Anecdotally, yes, sweaty palms are normal. I can't remember back of my hands ever sweating except for when my whole body is sweaty.

Slightly more scientific: I got curious and googled this, and it seems there are several different types of sweat glands. Apocrine sweat glands are located in the arm pits and groin area. Then eccrine sweat glands are located all over the body BUT especially numerous in palms and soles of the feet.
posted by litera scripta manet at 5:34 AM on December 31, 2021 [5 favorites]

Wait... Isn't normal neither palms nor backs-of-hands sweating?

To me, the phrase "sweaty palms" is associated with nervousness or stress, but you make no mention of nervousness nor stress, so are you really saying that you are claiming that most people are walking around in un-stressful situations with their palms sweating? And your partner is claiming that most people are walking around in un-stressful situations with their backs-of-hands sweating? (And here, I'll define normal as a simple majority). I claim the normal situation is people walking around with non-sweaty palms and non-sweaty backs-of-hands.

So I suspect you're really asking about the normal stressful situation. Sorry to question the premise of this question; I know that's frowned upon here on askMefi, and maybe that'll get my comment deleted, but as I said, for me, the phrase "sweaty palms" is so associated with stress that I'm guessing that's what you're really asking.

BTW, "Hyperhydrosis" is the medical term for this condition. And table 2 of this pub says the prevalence is less than 10%, and table 4 listing where on one's body one sweats doesn't even list backs-of-hands:

Doolittle J, Walker P, Mills T, Thurston J. Hyperhidrosis: an update on prevalence and severity in the United States. Arch Dermatol Res. 2016;308(10):743-749. doi:10.1007/s00403-016-1697-9
posted by at at 6:19 AM on December 31, 2021 [3 favorites]

I think, when nervous, my palms and the back of my hand sweat equally but it's way more noticeable on my palms because they curve inward, have creases, and are used to grip things.
posted by ToddBurson at 6:47 AM on December 31, 2021 [1 favorite]

I've shaken sweaty hands. I've had sweaty hands, when watching a poorly secured window washer working next door to the office building where I once was employed. (I have mild acrophobia; for example, I also am fearful of climbing open staircases.)

I remember the dampness primarily on the palms of the hands, though there was some on the fingers themselves. I don't recall experiencing dampness on the backs of anyone else's hands (or my own, unless I've immersed them in water).
posted by virago at 6:48 AM on December 31, 2021 [1 favorite]

Your partner is super weird. I have never sweated on the backs of my hands in my life. “Sweaty palms” is the expression for a reason!
posted by HotToddy at 7:24 AM on December 31, 2021 [2 favorites]

Sweaty palms are a classic sign of anxiety. Sweaty back of hands is possible in severe heat, but I've never noticed it. Your partner's different. Worth mentioning at a doctor's visit; a few unusual physical traits are signs of illness. otherwise, most people assume that their physical experience is the norm.
posted by theora55 at 7:57 AM on December 31, 2021 [1 favorite]

Sweaty palms makes me think of someone being nervous or feeling sick. When I go running and wear gloves and my hands get too warm I feel like they sweat all over- mostly on the backs though? So maybe I'm more like your partner.
posted by emd3737 at 8:05 AM on December 31, 2021 [2 favorites]

You guys I think both OP and the boyfriend are aware of the nervousness implications of the phrase “sweaty palms” he is just saying it doesn’t happen to him in that situation, and yes that means he sweats weird
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:49 AM on December 31, 2021 [1 favorite]

A lack of sweat on the palms points to some sort of medical issue to me. Like maybe they have been a cook and have gradually built up a lot of damage to the sweat glands on the gripping parts of their hands and the back of their hands compensates for it.
posted by srboisvert at 9:50 AM on December 31, 2021 [1 favorite]

If I heard either of those, I would assume the person's palms are sweaty. Like many others, I can't really recall the back of my hands being sweaty if I am not all over sweaty and that's why even if someone said sweaty hands, I would just assume they were talking palms.
posted by a non mouse, a cow herd at 11:03 AM on December 31, 2021 [1 favorite]

If I ever sweat out of the back of my hands I would assume I was turning into a character from x-men. And yes the expression “sweaty palms” generally shows some sort of emotional state or tense situation, but some amount of palm sweat in real life is normal until it isn’t.
posted by Crystalinne at 11:32 AM on December 31, 2021 [1 favorite]

Wow, I am surprised by the consensus. I haven't studied carefully, but my impression is my palms sweat very little, and the backs of my hands sweat similarly to my arms.

I rock climb, and slipping out of a hand jam due to sweat on the back of your hand is definitely a thing.
posted by counterfeitfake at 11:44 AM on December 31, 2021 [3 favorites]

Response by poster: Thank you everyone! Interesting responses!
posted by ec2y at 7:22 PM on December 31, 2021