Why do we have an instinctive tendency to hunch our shoulders when walking outside in cold and rainy conditions?
• Any answer to this question must necessarily be speculative, but the reaction seems to be universal among warm-blooded animals smaller than, say, cattle. In most birds and mammals the response to cold is to reduce skin exposure and increase production of heat and the effectiveness of insulation. As a rule this means curling up or making bodies into a compact attitude, and fluffing out hair or feathers to repel water and retain warm air.
There are other strategies, such as cutting the supply of blood to the skin, but in general we behave in a way that protects as much bare skin as possible while fluffing up our insulation.
Advertisement
“In general humans behave to protect as much bare skin as possible while fluffing up our insulation”
Humans may not have much insulation, but our ancestors did and we have inherited some of their habits. Lacking fur and feathers, as we do, we are not very good at the tactic except when we are in bed or wearing suitable clothing. However, it still seems to benefit us to continue with the instinctive reaction.
Jon Richfield, Somerset West, South Africa