Heat loss

Heat loss

Quiz time! True or false, one loses ninety percent of body heat through their head.

False

This would come as surprising to most. This myth has been so perpetuated throughout our society that most think it to be fact. Personally, I first heard of this on a kids show. Nickelodeon’s 1990’s cartoon, The Angry Beavers, depicted the two main characters, Daggit and Norbit, climbing a mountain. In a moment of frustration, Daggit turns to Norbit and complains about being cold. Norbit gives Daggit a pair of ear muffs and says that over ninety percent of heat loss experienced is through the ears and that if Daggit would cover his ears his entire body would be warm.

This example is a stretch and is ridiculous in many ways (mostly due to the fact that beavers do not have ear lobes) but the fact of the matter is this myth has been so dispersed through our culture that it has even made its way into a cartoon.

The myth arose out of a faulty experiment. A group of marines were taken to the arctic and were instructed to perform physical activity outside in the cold. All had on warm coats and snow pants but no hats. After the activity was complete, the scientists performing the study measured where most of the heat release was occurring. Surprisingly enough, it was their heads where most of the heat was being released. Anybody with the least bit of common sense could see that the coats and pants trapped the heat there fore the head was the only part of the body that was releasing heat.

Although hats indeed will help you to stay warm in the winter time, they are not the key to retaining heat. On those brisk days still throw on the coat and long pants with the hat. You cant go out on a freezing day in a speedo and a beanie and expect to be warm.