VIDEO. Why are some people more chilly than others?

“If we take, for example, the case of the Inuit, who are populations adapted to living in the cold, these are people who have much more subcutaneous fat than those who live, for example, in Europe.” Cédric Moro is a researcher in physiopathology. According to him, there are several factors that determine a person’s sensitivity to cold. Among others, body composition. “People who are, let’s say, overweight or obese, will have greater insulation, as if they had several layers of clothing on them and therefore, obviously, they will be less sensitive to the cold “he explains.

“You can adapt your body to signals of cold”

Men and women are also not equal when it comes to the cold, because of their hormones. “Men have testosterone, and it is known to be able to decrease the feeling of cold, especially in the brain, at the central level.“But it’s also due to body composition.”Men have more muscle mass and also, too, a higher metabolism.”

The environment also plays on the nervousness, and in particular the frequency of exposure to cold. “Someone who is born in a hot environment is not going to have the same facility to fight against the cold”, explains the researcher. He notably takes the example of the Scandinavians. “They are adept at cold baths. There are studies that are beginning to appear that seem to say that if we repeat, on an occasional basis, exposures to cold like that, we can adapt better. If we are going to swim in pools in cold water, rather cold, well, we will adapt our organism to signals of cold.