Ladies, raise a gloved hand if your hands feel as frozen as Elsa's, especially in the winter.
Women's hands generally are colder than men's, and the old saying "cold hands, warm heart" may go a long way to explaining why.
Using thermal images, University of Utah researchers compared the hands of men and women, and found that women's hands typically run 2.8 degrees Fahrenheit colder than men's.
Exposure to cold — whether it comes from taking a cold shower or a wintry walk outside — causes blood vessels in the hands and feet to contract, reducing blood flow there as the body seeks to protect the heart and other vital organs.
While this happens in men and women, the cold response is much quicker for women.
It's still a bit of a mystery why, but scientists suggest that differences in body size, composition and hormones are the culprits.
Women have more body fat and less muscle than men. The fat protects the vital organs, including the uterus, but it also restricts blood flow to the extremities.
Women also tend to lose heat faster from their skin because they're generally smaller than men.
