ANYONE who has sought to avoid mouse-inflicted wrist pain has probably heard some version of the following: Move the mouse closer to your body, avoid clutching the mouse when you're not actually using it, and in extreme circumstances avoid using the contraption altogether. New research from Cornell University suggests another option: Try a bigger mouse.

A study conducted last summer by Alan Hedge, a Cornell professor of ergonomics, compared how people responded in two-minute sessions to a basic Microsoft mouse with the familiar raised bulge that fits under the palm and a lesser-known variant called the Whale.

The Whale mouse is a $99 device developed by a company called Humanscale in New York and, befitting its name, is at least an inch longer than the Microsoft mouse and can be extended up to another inch for larger hands. The Whale is designed to keep fingers flat and prevent the hand from curling around it.

Dr. Hedge said he chose the Whale because it was the largest mouse on the market, and he wanted to find out if a larger mouse might keep people from extending their wrist beyond a neutral, relatively flat position.