Hat Wearing Myth Debunked

Steven — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 11:00:51 +0000

Is it true that up to 45 percent of your body heat is lost through your head? Apparently not. The British Medical Journal reports this week that this myth has be debunked by researchers at Indiana University. The medical myth was traced back to advise published in a US Army Field Manual from 1970 which was based on flawed interpretation of US Military experiments in which subjects dressed in arctic survival suits (without hats) were exposed to cold temperatures. Since their heads were the only part of their bodies left uncovered, scientists wrongfully assumed that the head was the source of the majority of heat loss when, in fact, heat loss can occur through a variety of thermoregulatory mechanisms – conduction, convection, radiation. If the myth were true, they say, humans would be just as cold if they went without a hat as if they went without pants. The actual amount of heat loss depends roughly on the body surface area that is exposed.

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Hat Wearing Myth Debunked