The key facts
- Male mice preferred around 32 °C, females around 36 °C, with identical body and skin temperatures
- Suppressing testosterone in males and administering it to females changed their temperature preferences
- The results were obtained in animals; transferring them to humans requires separate studies
Differences in cold perception: data from the experiment
Women often prefer warmer rooms than men, and British scientists have proposed a possible explanation for this difference: testosterone may affect the functioning of nerve endings responsible for sensing heat and cold. Live Science reports on the experiment; so far, the findings come only from mice. Researchers at King's College London observed 57 rodents — 30 males and 27 females. The animals were offered two adjacent surfaces: one was kept at 33 degrees, the temperature of the other was varied, and cameras recorded where the mice spent more time.
What exactly was found
The males preferred a temperature of about 32 degrees, the females about 36 degrees, while the animals' body and skin temperatures did not differ significantly. This suggested that the matter lies not in the body's ability to retain heat, but in how it is perceived. The researchers focused on two proteins in the nerve endings of the skin: TRPM8, involved in detecting cold, and TRPM2, linked to the perception of heat. In females, the sensitivity of these receptor systems was shifted toward higher temperatures, and when the corresponding proteins were disabled or blocked, the animals' preferences changed. The results are published in The Journal of Physiology.
The role of hormones and the limits of the conclusions
The scientists then tested the influence of sex hormones. Males were given a drug that suppresses testosterone production, and after a few weeks they began choosing the warmer surface more often. Females given testosterone, on the contrary, lost their pronounced preference for warmth. Altering estrogen and progesterone levels produced no comparable effect. At the same time, testosterone explained the differences only partially: even after the hormonal intervention, the preferences of males and females did not become fully identical, and exactly how the hormone affects temperature-sensitive proteins remains unknown — an effect on the activity of certain genes is presumed.
Does this apply to humans
The authors emphasize that humans have similar temperature receptors, but it is too early to transfer the results of the experiments to people: separate studies are needed to confirm the mechanism. A separate practical context was previously provided by Life.ru in an article about why hands and feet may stay cold even in a warm apartment: among the possible causes, specialists cited features of blood circulation, differences in muscle mass, stress and certain diseases, and also explained in which cases constant feeling of cold warrants seeing a doctor.
