Common Misconceptions About the Human Body

Whenever you remember to put on a hat before venturing out into cold weather, you might think your whole body should be thanking you. After all, we lose most of our body heat through our heads. Or do we?

Actually, we don’t. The old “You lose the most heat from your noggin” misconception traces its history back to the 1970s, when an army survival manual made the bold claim that some 40 to 45 percent of your body heat escapes by way of your head. So where did the manual writers get such a staggering stat?

In this episode of Misconceptions, Mental Floss host Justin Dodd is answering that question and tackling some other prevalent myths and misunderstandings about the human body. Even some of the most basic “facts” are a little more complicated than your grade school teachers may have led you to believe. Take, for example, the senses. You probably learned that humans have five: taste, touch, sight, smell, and hearing. But contemporary scientists have identified some more (though, as far as we know, none of them involve seeing dead people).

Learn more in the video below, and subscribe to the Mental Floss YouTube channel for future illuminating videos.