Friday, November 04, 2011

Cold up top? Not so much.

So, I'm sure you've heard it said that we lose most of the heat from our bodies through our heads, right? It's one of those things that I've heard cited many times over the years, the type of thing that I've accepted uncritically and even said to other people. In fact, until recently, I had it on the FAQ page of my website. But, like many little nuggets of information we carry around with us from day to day, this one doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

Reader Sam Kauffman kindly sent me links to a couple of website ("Scientists debunk the myth that you lose most heat through your head" and "Do You Lose Most Of Your Heat Through Your Head?") that nicely clear the air on those subjects.


Of course, if you were completely bundled up except for your head, it would end up being the source of most of your body heat loss when you were out in the cold. But then, if you were all bundled up except you weren't wearing any pants, then most of your body heat loss would be from somewhere else altogether. :-)

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