为什么冬天女性的手更冷？背后竟有大奥秘！

Cold hands mean a warm heart, as the popular phrase has it.

有一句流行语是这样说的：“你是一个外冷内热的人”。

However women may have colder hands than men at this chilly time of year, according to scientists.

但是，科学家表示，在一年中寒冷的时刻，女性的手通常要比男性的冷。

Females and children are thought to need to put their hands in their pockets more because they have less muscle mass, which generates heat to keep the body warm.

女士和孩子把手翻入口袋，被认为是因为含有更少的肌肉质量，而这种物质能够产生热量，从而保持身体温暖。

Researchers at the University of Cambridge tested this by asking people to plunge their hands into icy water for three minutes.

剑桥大学的研究要求人们把手放进冰冷的水中3分钟，得出了这个观点。

Those with more muscle saw their hands heat up again more quickly, based on images taken with a thermal imaging camera. 

据热成像照相机拍出的照片显示，那些含有更多肌肉质量的人，手能更快的热起来。

It came as a surprise to experts, who thought fat was more important in warming up people's hands when they get cold.

这样的结果无疑惊呆了一些专家，他们那些认为脂肪才是使手热起来的主要因素。

The study's lead author, Stephanie Payne, said: 'Being aware of the effects of body composition on how cold your hands get is crucial.

这次研究的领导Stephanie Payne表示，意识到身体组成因素对手的冷热程度影响十分重要。

'For example, women and children are less likely to have a high muscle mass so cold-weather gear, such as gloves, should be produced and marketed with that in mind.'

举个例子来说，女性和孩子在寒冷的天气中，肌肉质量会偏低。举个例子来说，手套的制作和市场都应该以此牢记。

The study by a team of biological anthropologists is the first of its kind and used 114 volunteers willing to plunge their hands into ice-cold water.

此次研究是由生物人类学的一支团队首创，并有114个志愿者参与，将自己的手放入冰冷的水中。

（翻译：朵朵）