Why is my butt cold?

March 26, 2005 3:48 PM

Why is my butt cold?

While spooning with my husband, he once again remarked that my butt was cold. But when spooning my husband his ass matched the hotness of the rest of his body. Asking my girlfriends revealed that they have also had partners mention their frosty posteriors.

So what's the deal? I theorized -- and it's a long shot theory here -- that women's butts are cooler so that when spooning with their male companions the cold butt helps keep the male genitals cooler (and thus improving sperm count). But that's probably not it. Is it a fat distribution thing? A circulation thing? Please, AskMe, why are women's butts cold?

posted by macadamiaranch to health & fitness (17 answers total)

It's got to be a circulation thing. I also doubt the sperm count thing. Why line the hershey highway with a red carpet?

The booty is an area that stores fat, and fat doesn't need a lot of blood (unlike muscle and eyeballs and erections and such). So it doesn't get an incredible amount of circulation, and it's colder as a result.
posted by scarabic at 3:53 PM on March 26, 2005

I don't know why, but my butt is cold too. Especially if I've been outside on a cold day. It never feels cold to me, but if I reach around and feel it or someone else feels it, it is often distinctly cool to the touch. I don't think it has anything to do with spooning. I've always theorized that high fat content plus low circulation caused the chilliness.
posted by bonheur at 3:57 PM on March 26, 2005

Because men are heat vampires. They complain about us being cold, but that is only because they steal the warmth. The most advanced heat vampires always suck from the bottom.
posted by dame at 4:20 PM on March 26, 2005 [2 favorites]

Women have more fat in their butts, which means acts as insulation (keeping the heat inside the body).

Nothing personal... :-)
posted by curtm at 4:25 PM on March 26, 2005

I have a really scrawny ass but it's still always cold. I don't think the amount of fat is the key...
posted by pookzilla at 4:39 PM on March 26, 2005

My wife claims it's because of hairiness. Then again this is based primarily on a statistical sampling of well, me.
posted by O9scar at 5:09 PM on March 26, 2005

I might be totally wrong here but I think the average woman has and greater percentage of overall body fat stored in their ass than the average man. Something to do with the vaginal canal or soemthing. It's the fat that gets cold, less blood flow I think... So, men get cold love handles, and women get cold butts.
posted by pwb503 at 5:51 PM on March 26, 2005

women are always cold. that's it.
posted by angry modem at 6:02 PM on March 26, 2005

My friend is a massage therapist, and she has made passing reference that most of the female butts she has worked on are freezing, while only a small percentage of male butts are cold.
posted by rhapsodie at 7:59 PM on March 26, 2005

I'd like to point out that this is not always a man/female thing. I'm usually much warmer than the guy...in fact, we've deemed mine The Ass of Fire. And he's the scrawny one, so you would think his would be hotter.

I think it's just a general body hotness thing...I'm warmer all over than he is...I have warm hands, neck, etc.
posted by amandaudoff at 8:21 PM on March 26, 2005

The Straight Dope: Why are women always cold?
posted by ori at 9:00 PM on March 26, 2005

- So, men get cold love handles, and women get cold butts.

but why aren't my love handles cold?
posted by mailhans at 12:44 AM on March 27, 2005

The most advanced heat vampires always suck from the bottom.

Thank you, I now have some very potent screwdriver splattered all over my keyboard and monitor.
posted by dirtynumbangelboy at 8:53 AM on March 27, 2005

why aren't my love handles cold?

i *think* that the lower part of your torso, particularly your liver, actually generates a fair amount of heat. so your love handles are probably the nearest thing to radiators on your body. in contrast, macadamiaranch's butt doesn't contain anything that hot. in a certain sense.
posted by andrew cooke at 9:22 AM on March 27, 2005

why aren't my love handles cold?.............
Orrrrrr because the skin and subcutaneous tissue in your abdomen are well perfused.
posted by peacay at 9:50 AM on March 27, 2005

why aren't my love handles cold?

Oh my god ! See your doctor !
posted by curtm at 9:44 PM on March 27, 2005

Well I don't know about you, but the women are always saying "Ooh, that guy's got a hot butt!"

...right after I walk past them... Zing!!!
posted by raster at 11:02 AM on March 28, 2005