Everyone knows that tall people walk faster than short people. But what happens when a tall and a short person — or a man and a woman — walk together? Does one tend to adjust his/her speed more, or do they each adjust their paces to meet in the middle?
In this study, the researchers observed pairs of people walking separately and then together and measured their walking speeds. They found that males walked significantly slower when walking with a female, but only when that female was their romantic partner. In all other pairs, the individuals each slightly (but not significantly) adjusted their speeds.