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What Is the Relationship between Belly-Button Placement and Athletic Performance?

The placement of a person's belly button can be an indicator of what sports he or she will be good at, because it shows where a person's center of gravity is. People who have a higher belly button have an advantage at running, for example, and people who have a longer torso and lower belly button typically are best suited for swimming. This is one reason why people of African descent typically perform better in running sports — their belly buttons are generally higher — and Caucasian athletes tend to do better in swimming competitions.

More facts about the belly button:

  • Innie belly buttons are much more common than outie belly buttons — only about 10 percent of people have outies, although about 30 percent of people are born with outies.

  • One of the ways to distinguish between identical twins is by their belly buttons, because they vary slightly.

  • Typically, people who have hairier bellies have more lint in their belly buttons.

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