Wrinkled fingers grip better

Pool fingers are doing a tiny grip upgrade.

After soaking, the skin wrinkles through an active response controlled by the autonomic nervous system. In a study of 20 people moving 45 objects, wrinkled fingers handled submerged objects about 12% faster, while dry-object handling did not change. 1

The study showed the grip effect, but did not directly test why the wrinkles help. The "built-in tire tread" explanation is still a proposed mechanism, not a settled result. 1