Have you heard the old wives’ tale that if you
put on socks, you warm up immediately?
Yah...well it’s not true, it’s more perception than reality, and here is
why.
According to SINTEF research scientist,
physiologist and low temperature expert Øystein Wiggen, “Heat loss is all
about insulation and is greatest wherever the skin is exposed. So, in general, it’s not true that any given
part of the body releases more heat than any other part. But our sensitivity varies. We experience the same external temperature
entirely differently though our fingers than we do through our legs. Our fingers will always feel the coldest even
though they are not. Having said that,
it’s still a good idea to wear a hat to keep warm”.
There
are five ways the human body loses heat to the environment, and heat loss is proportional
to the amount of exposed surface area.
In
cold environments your body reduces blood flow to your extremities through vasoconstriction,
to preserve the heat of the bodies core, in effect shutting off the blood flow
to your arms and hands, and your legs and feet.
Studies have shown that just like with your head, your feet (or hands)
lose body heat to the environment in a similar percentage to their total
surface area.
Since
your foot makes up only about 1.5% of your body’s surface area, on average, the
total loss of body heat for both feet should be about 3%. So just like the old wives’ tale about losing
40-50% of your body heat through your head isn’t true, because the surface area
of your head is only about 9 to 10% of your body’s total surface area, the tall
tale that “putting on socks will warm you up immediately” is also
untrue.
Even
though your feet are not a major source of overall body heat loss, reduced
blood flow can make your feet and hands feel cold and icy. Also both feet and hands have less muscles to
generate heat, are often in direct contact with cold surfaces, and are more sensitive
to the cold.
Additionally,
in biological terms, your feet and hands have a higher surface area relative to
the volume ratio compared to the core of the body. The surface area-to-volume ratio is crucial
for heat exchange with the environment. As
body parts get bigger, their volume increases faster than their surface area,
this larger volume generates more heat, but the smaller surface area relative
to the volume means less of this body heat is exposed to the environment to
escape through radiation or convection.
This
lower surface area relative to the volume ratio means less of the body's heat
is exposed to the environment at any given time, allowing the larger part to
retain heat more effectively. Conversely
a small body part, like your feet and hands have a large amount of surface area
relative to their volume. This higher surface
area relative to the volume ratio means more of the body’s heat is exposed to
the environment at any given time, allowing the smaller part to lose heat more
effectively.
So
to prevent that icy foot feeling, wear socks, ... oh and put a hat on!
I
hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me
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That
is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!
Sources
Benjaminsen,
Christina; “The cold hard facts about your body and low temperatures”, Jan 23,
2023, https://norwegianscitechnews.com/2023/01/the-cold-hard-facts-about-your-body-and-low-temperatures/,
accessed November 15, 2025
Stuff;
“Ask a Scientist: Feet Keeps Us Warm”, July 1, 2012, [© Stuff Digital Ltd], https://www.stuff.co.nz/science/7205016/Ask-a-scientist-Feet-keep-us-warm,
accessed November 15, 2025
