Fact or fiction? 6 myths black people believe about themselves

Black people generate more heat

The clichéd scenario is a room filled with black people, where the room then becomes uncomfortably hot and someone frustratingly calls out, “There are too many black people in here,” as he or she escapes the room. Said person is usually referring to the concept that a group of black people generates more heat than other races. And, thus requires areas with more aeration or simply not gathering so closely together or so numerously.

Is it fact or fiction?

Fiction.

“The amount of heat radiated can depend on a handful of factors, race does not appear to be one of them,” says Dr. David Keller, assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Texas, who regularly performs research on how the body regulates its own temperature.

People with larger body size, for example, tend to radiate more heat than those who are smaller, he says. Yet, no studies have shown a significant difference merely based on race.

Researchers in North Carolina recorded the body temperatures of nearly 100 elderly volunteers and found that black women had higher readings than the white women in the study — 98.5 degrees compared to 98.3. No difference was seen between black men and their white counterparts. The study was too small to draw larger conclusions.

All humans radiate heat throughout life, Keller explains. As the body’s temperature changes, so does its need to release heat. Temperatures can change throughout the day, even at rest, but most people, regardless of race, remain within the same narrow range.

Since black objects, like clothing, absorb the sun’s heat more intensely, older theories have implied that darker skin would also absorb more heat. However, in a lecture on heat transfer at the University of Houston, Engineering Professor Dr. John Lienhard confirmed that there is no difference: Dark skin absorbs no more heat than light skin does.

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