A question about skin colour?

Question

I really REALLY cant stress enough that i am not being racist when i say this, but am just wondering, do black people get hotter than white people because of the colour of their skin. Again, this is not a racist question...

Answer 1

No.

Maybe you need a source to answer all your questions!

Answer 2

Lots of people are saying yes, that since dark colors do not reflect heat, that they would feel hotter.

They're neglecting the fact of albedo: the heat caused by reflected light off a surface. If the heat is reflected off lighter skin, then at the surface of the skin there is twice the heat: the light coming down from the sun and the light bouncing back off the person. That would mean twice the heat. Sweat glands having to work twice as hard.

With darker skin, the heat that is absorbed might be taken in by the body, making the skin and tissue right under it hotter, which would make the person himself feel cooler.

If you touched a dark-skinned person who's standing out in the sun, he'll feel very hot to you, but to himself, he won't feel as hot as a light-skinned person.

Think of it this way: suppose you have two machines whose only jobs are to maintain a certain temperature.

You put them both in 101 degree heat. You set the lighter-skinned machine to stay at 98.6. You set the darker-skinned machine to stay at 100. Which machine is going to work harder to stay at it's designated temperature? The lighter skinned machine. That's why it's possibe for lighter-skinned people to feel hotter in warm temperatures than darker-skinned people.

Answer 3

I always thought they did because they seem to sweat in heat more than most white people. But no one really knows but Micheal Jackson :P I do know that evolution has made them more adaptable to the sun and heat in some way, or else they would have all died in Africa right? So obviously their skin color benifites them.

Answer 4

No. I think it depends on the person. Black peoples skin don't age as fast as whites, when they are in the sun. Its popular oppinion that they tend to withstand heat a little more. I think there might be alittle truth to it.

I can't stand being cold, not even a little bit. I'm not a fan of fans.

Answer 5

I would think that they don't get as hot as their skin gives them better protection from the sun???

An interesting question , but I think it will be difficult to get a proper answer here. You would need to do lab experiements to find out.

PS I didn't find it racist at all, but bet your bottom dollar, someone will.

Answer 6

No, the black skin absorbs heat better than white, white reflects it, that`s why solar heating pipes are painted black.
Sit in a black car when the sun is shining, then sit in a white one, the white one will be cool and the black one hot.

Answer 7

I think it depends on where you were born and grew up at. I was born and raised in Boston, MA so I am accustomed to colder weather. when I moved to Md, where the weather is milder, I really enjoyed it, until the summers hit and it was waayyy to hot. I realized that I do like COOL weather and not hot weather, as I am so use to it.

but then again I am a lightskinned black woman

Answer 8

Um as a black lady myself, i don't think so. I have always been under the impression that the Melanin in our skin makes us more tolerable to hotter conditions, but underneath it all, we're all the same!! lol.

Answer 9

i always thought that they would because black doesnt reflect heat as well as white but i would also think that black people could do better in the cold weather as they would absorb more heat....im not sure tho.

i get its not a racist question!! lol

Answer 10

since they lived in Africa many years ago, I don't think they did get hotter than white people they just learned to adapted to the heat.

Answer 11

I suppose that their skin would absorb more heat energy, however the sun's rays would not penatrate the skin as deeply as they would on a lighter skin tone.