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Story at-a-glance

• Grip strength is a quick, noninvasive marker of overall health, linked to aging, resilience, neurological coordination, and risk of chronic disease and early mortality
• A 2025 study found that weaker grip strength in early psychosis patients correlated with poorer well-being and disruptions in key brain network connectivity patterns
• Stronger grip strength was linked to better communication between brain regions involved in movement, emotion, and self-reflection, especially within the brain’s default mode network
• Beyond brain health, grip strength also reflects cardiovascular fitness, immune function, cognitive performance, physical independence, and is widely used to detect early signs of frailty
• Grip strength is easy to track at home with a dynamometer, and exercises like daily dead hangs help support psychomotor coordination and neurological stability

Most people don’t give their grip strength much thought. It’s something you rely on without noticing — turning doorknobs, carrying groceries, holding on tight. But the strength in your hands reveals more about your health than you realize. For years, researchers have used grip strength as a quick, reliable marker of physical decline. It’s simple to measure, hard to fake, and surprisingly telling.

What makes grip strength so distinctive is how much it draws from systems beneath the surface. A steady grip isn’t just about muscle. It reflects how well your body stays integrated, how smoothly your nervous system fires, and how effectively your brain keeps everything in sync.

That broader reach is what led researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to explore whether grip strength also reflects the state of your mind.1 If you’ve ever sensed that your physical and mental states are more connected than they seem, this line of research gives you a reason to pay closer attention to something as ordinary as the strength in your own hands.

New Research Traces Grip Strength to Core Brain Networks

The featured study, published in The American Journal of Psychiatry in June 2025, drew on data from the Human Connectome Project for Early Psychosis, a large, multi-site research initiative aimed at better understanding the early stages of psychotic illness. Researchers aimed to determine how physical strength reflects mental and neurological health.2

• Study focused on young adults with early psychosis — The participants included 89 young adults who had experienced early psychosis within the past five years and 51 healthy individuals without psychiatric diagnoses. All participants were between 16 and 35 years of age.

Each participant underwent resting-state functional MRI scans along with standardized assessments of grip strength, general functioning, and psychological well-being. Dr. Heather Burrell Ward, lead author of the study and assistant professor of psychiatry at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, explained:

“Grip strength is one measure of motor function that has been associated with all-cause mortality and overall well-being. It has been assumed that associations between grip strength and well-being are purely related to mechanical impairments reflective of overall poorer physical health.

Therefore, the brain correlates of grip strength have been presumed to lie in the motor system, so previous brain analyses are frequently restricted to motor regions.

However, a unifying brain circuit explanation linking grip strength and overall well-being has remained elusive until now. Ours is the first analysis to link grip strength and well-being to alterations in resting-state functional connectivity."3

• Findings centered on the brain’s default mode network (DMN) — This system of brain regions is most active when the mind is at rest during moments of daydreaming, reflection, or internally focused thought. These regions also help coordinate emotional regulation, memory, motor planning, and the internal narrative that forms your sense of self.

• Stronger grip linked to stronger brain connectivity — Researchers found a consistent relationship between grip strength and the DMN. Specifically, stronger grip strength correlated with stronger resting-state connectivity between the DMN and three key regions — the anterior cingulate cortex, the sensorimotor cortex, and the cerebellum. This relationship remained consistent even when grip strength was replaced with measures of well-being and overall functioning.

• Motor decline mirrored reduced brain organization — Participants with early psychosis showed both lower grip strength and reduced connectivity in these circuits, and the associations between grip and brain function were most pronounced in this group. That suggests the breakdown in motor performance is tied to broader disruptions in how the brain organizes and regulates itself, even before major psychiatric symptoms emerge.

• Clinicians highlight the value of early motor clues — Ward explained that the findings offer a clearer understanding of where to look in the brain when motor and psychological symptoms begin to overlap.

“We identified significant relationships between the same brain regions and their connectivity patterns to the DMN that were related to well-being, overall function, and grip strength. These results have dramatic implications for treatment of psychomotor function in psychotic disorders, as they suggest a unifying role of DMN connectivity in psychomotor disturbance, overall function, and well-being,” she stated.4

• Opens new paths for intervention and monitoring — By identifying circuits tied to both motor and mental function, the study points toward new strategies for early detection and support. “These results are exciting because they provide us with novel insights on what brain regions we should target to improve psychomotor function and overall well-being,” Ward said.5

This research reframes grip strength as more than a fitness metric. Most importantly for you, it raises the possibility that a simple measure like grip strength might provide early insight into how your brain is functioning.

What Else Does Grip Strength Say About Your Health?

While recent research has highlighted the connection between grip strength and brain function, that’s only part of the picture. Grip strength also reflects the status of multiple other systems, from cardiovascular resilience to metabolic stability to physical independence in aging. It’s a small action with wide-reaching implications, offering a quick but powerful snapshot of how your body is holding up across the board.

• Frailty — Grip strength is widely used to detect early signs of frailty in older adults. Weaker grip is linked to difficulty with daily tasks, slower walking speed, higher fall risk, longer hospital stays, and lower chances of recovery after illness or surgery. It often marks the beginning of a larger decline in physiological resilience.6,7

• Cardiovascular health — Lower grip strength is associated with a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and related complications. These links remain strong even after accounting for age, sex, and body composition, suggesting that grip strength reflects underlying vascular health and the body’s ability to sustain physical performance.8,9,10

• Longevity — Across diverse populations, people with weaker grip strength consistently show higher rates of all-cause mortality. Grip doesn’t cause death, but it does track closely with survival odds, likely because it reflects how well multiple systems, including metabolic, immune, muscular, and nervous, are working together.11

• Mental health and cognition — Individuals with clinical depression often show lower grip strength, and in older adults, weaker grip is linked to memory problems, poor attention, and reduced executive function. This connection between physical and mental performance highlights how deeply mind and body are integrated.12

• Whole-body coordination — What seems like a basic movement actually draws on multiple domains, including brain signaling, spinal cord routing, neuromuscular control, metabolic energy, and real-time sensory feedback. The ability to grip and hold force engages circuits from the central nervous system to the fingertips.13

How Do You Measure Grip Strength at Home?

Measuring grip strength doesn’t require a clinic visit or expensive equipment. A simple hand dynamometer, available online for as little as $25, offers a quick, reliable way to assess how strong your grip is. It’s noninvasive, easy to use, and helps you track changes in muscle strength over time with minimal effort.

• What a dynamometer actually measures — A hand dynamometer records the maximum force generated when you squeeze the handle. It captures muscular strength in your hand and forearm, but it isn’t intended to build grip strength, just measure it.

Most models display results in pounds or kilograms. Digital versions are especially useful for home use, offering instant readings and consistent tracking over time. To use a dynamometer be sure to follow the instructions that come with the device. Generally:14

1. The grip handle should be positioned to fit your hand

2. Bend your elbow at a 90-degree angle

3. Apply maximum effort to squeeze the dynamometer

4. Repeat a total of three times and average the three results

• What counts as a strong grip? A 2018 study15 of 1,232 adults aged 18 to 85 established normative reference values based on age, gender, and hand dominance. Results were divided into five-year age groups and percentiles (10th through 90th), offering a clear benchmark to understand where your grip strength falls. The chart below includes example ranges for dominant hand strength, so you’ll see how your result compares to others in your age group:

Men

18-24103.6 +/- 17.9

35-39103.8 +/- 26.2

50-5497.0 +/- 22.7

60-6484.7 +/- 22.7

70-7476.5 +/- 19.8

Women

18-2461.9 +/- 15.7

35-3964.4 +/- 13.7

50-5462.2 +/- 13.9

60-6452.0 +/- 14.3

70-7447.4 +/- 11.2

How to Improve Your Grip Strength with Dead Hangs

One of the clearest takeaways from the featured research is that strengthening psychomotor function is a worthwhile goal. Dead hangs are one practice I regularly recommend. My own grip strength measured an exceptional 129 pounds, and I strongly believe that result reflects years of hanging for 90 seconds to two minutes, twice a day. It’s a simple habit I encourage nearly anyone to adopt as a way to build and maintain grip strength.

• What dead hangs are — Dead hangs involve hanging from an overhead bar with your feet off the ground, allowing your body weight to create sustained tension through the hands, arms, shoulders, and core. This engages the nervous system continuously, training grip endurance, postural control, and neuromuscular coordination, which are all key components of psychomotor health.

• How to start if you're new — Use a pull-up bar that you’ll be able to reach easily without jumping. Ideally, you should be able to grab the bar from tiptoe or with help from a stool. Begin with short holds; 10 to 15 seconds is enough for most people at first. Your grip will naturally give out at its current limit, and that’s the point where real progress begins.

• Progress gradually with assistance — A realistic target is 90 seconds for men and 60 seconds for women, but reaching that may take time. To build up, use your feet for partial support during early sessions. Lift your toes for a few seconds, then rest them again, gradually reducing how much help you use. Frequent shorter hangs throughout the day are just as effective as fewer long ones. Aim for a total of three minutes per day, broken into multiple sets.

• Benefits beyond grip strength — Hanging stretches and decompresses the upper body, especially in the lats and pectorals, which are areas that often tighten from long hours of sitting. Over time, this decompression improves posture, increases shoulder mobility, and expands the joint space in the shoulder. Some people notice better spinal alignment and freer shoulder movement after consistent practice.

• Add variety as you advance — You can incorporate gentle neck or spinal rotations while hanging to engage the upper spine and improve mobility. Periodically contracting your shoulder muscles during the hang adds another layer of control, strengthening stabilizers and reinforcing neuromuscular coordination.

Dead hangs reinforce the systems your brain depends on. Given how interconnected those systems are, improving your grip may be one of the most accessible ways to support full-body health, starting at your fingertips.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Grip Strength

Q: What does grip strength reveal about your health?

A: Grip strength reflects more than muscle power. It’s a fast, noninvasive marker of overall health. Research links lower grip strength to higher risks of frailty, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and even early mortality. It also offers insight into how well your nervous system and brain are functioning together with your body.

Q: How is grip strength connected to mental health?

A: The recent study published in The American Journal of Psychiatry shows that lower grip strength correlates with reduced brain network connectivity and lower well-being. These findings suggest that grip strength is a physical signal of psychomotor disturbances tied to mental health status.

Q: What is the default mode network (DMN), and why does it matter?

A: The DMN is a group of brain regions active during rest, daydreaming, and self-reflection. It includes areas involved in memory, emotional regulation, and internal thought. The study found that stronger grip strength was associated with healthier connectivity within this network.

Q: Can improving grip strength improve brain health?

A: The study found a strong correlation between grip strength and brain connectivity, especially in individuals with early psychosis. While the study did not prove that strengthening grip improves mental health, researchers support motor-based interventions to promote psychomotor integrity and overall well-being.

Q: What’s a good grip strength for my age?

A: Grip strength varies by age, sex, and hand dominance. For example, average grip strength for men aged 18 to 24 is around 104 pounds, while for women in the same age group it’s about 62 pounds. Using a digital hand dynamometer helps you track your own grip strength relative to established benchmarks.

Sources and References

• 1, 2 Am J Psychiatry. June 25, 2025. appiajp20240780
• 3, 4, 5 News Medical Life Sciences, July 8, 2025
• 6 Clin Interv Aging. 2019 Oct 1;14:1681–1691
• 7, 11 Journal of Health, Population and Nutrition Volume 43, Article number: 7 (2024)
• 8 BMC Geriatrics Volume 23, Article number: 268 (2023)
• 9 Journal of Sport and Health Science Volume 10, Issue 6, December 2021, Pages 629-636
• 10 Aging Clin Exp Res. 2024 Oct 16;36(1):207
• 12 Front Aging Neurosci. 2022 Jun 24;14:937087
• 13 Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(4), 1847
• 14 Cathe, “How Strong Is Your Grip? How to Find Out and Why It Matters”
• 15 Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy, 2018;48(9) Popup Appendix A