Pretty much every pair of Sketchers shoes now has memory foam soles and everyone seems to think they are great but I hate them.
They are really hot, the foam is like a layer of insulation.
The top of the memory foam soles is somewhat elastic so it’s really smooth and slippery so your socks slide around inside
They are no more comfortable than regular shoes and in fact I think they provide less arch support since they are squishy compared to shoes with harder foam.
And most of all the memory foam gets smashed and wears out in no time with some shoes having the foam glued in so replacing the insole is impossible.
I just can’t fathom how they are so popular.
Every foot is different, and for some, like those who experience a lot of supination or high arches, arch support is likely the best way to go.
But there does seem to be a growing body of evidence that modern shoe design seems to promote weak arch muscles, and thus lead to pronation and flat arches, where as shoes with zero drop and no arch support, if transitioned to slowly, will eventually build up those muscles and no longer require support. I think there’s also a strong case to be made in favor of shoes with a large toebox that doesn’t squeeze the toes together.
Not sure I agree on the high arch needing support, but thanks for putting it more eloquently. A large toe box is definitely important too for walking more naturally.