Asked by: Alan Healy, France
Partly this is because, for a given bodyweight, women tend to have less muscle tissue to generate heat.
But the hormone oestrogen also has a big impact because it has the side effect of thickening the blood slightly. This reduces blood flow to the tiny capillaries supplying the extremities.
A 1998 study at the University of Utah found that this can mean women have hands, feet and ears that are 3°C colder than a man’s.
Read more:
Subscribe to BBC Focus magazine for fascinating new Q&As every month and follow @sciencefocusQA on Twitter for your daily dose of fun science facts.
Authors
Luis trained as a zoologist, but now works as a science and technology educator. In his spare time he builds 3D-printed robots, in the hope that he will be spared when the revolution inevitably comes.
Latest
