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A new mouse study suggests that differences in skin sensors and the hormone **testosterone** help explain why females tend to prefer warmer surroundings than males. Published Oct. 28 in the Journal of Physiology, the research links distinct activity of heat- and cold-sensitive ion channels in the skin to a measurable shift in surface-temperature preference between the sexes.
How the experiment measured temperature choice
Researchers placed 30 male and 27 female mice on two adjacent plates: one held at 91.4°F (33°C) and the other set to a range of cooler or warmer temperatures. Video tracking recorded how long each animal remained on each surface, producing a clear comparison of behavior under controlled conditions.
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When the second plate was cooler, both sexes preferred the 91.4°F surface. But when the alternative plate warmed to about 100.4°F (38°C), female mice spent significantly more time on the warmer surface than males. On average, male mice favored a surface near 89.6°F (32°C), while females preferred about 96.8°F (36°C). The team also measured internal and skin temperatures and found no consistent baseline physiological difference between sexes that could explain the behavior.
Different skin sensors drive different responses
Sensory nerve endings in the skin carry ion-channel proteins that open in response to warmth or cold and produce electrical signals sent to the brain. The study focused on two of those channels, identified in the paper as TRPM2 (a warmth detector) and TRPM8 (a cold detector).
Genetic deletion of the warmth sensor in male mice reduced their tendency to avoid the hotter plate and raised their average preferred temperature to roughly 95°F (35°C), bringing them closer to female preference. Removing or blocking the same warmth sensor in females produced little change. By contrast, disrupting the cool-sensing channel made both sexes less averse to cool surfaces; females also reduced time on the warm plate, while males’ warm-plate preference remained largely unchanged.
The researchers interpreted these results as showing that female mice are somewhat more responsive to activation of the cold receptor and less responsive to activation of the warm receptor, even though the temperature-sensing neurons themselves appeared to function similarly in both sexes.
Testosterone modifies temperature preference
To test hormonal influence, the team manipulated sex steroid levels. Male mice treated with a drug that blocks testosterone production later spent more time on the 38°C plate than untreated males. Conversely, administering testosterone to female mice erased their stronger preference for warmer surfaces.
Giving male mice female hormones such as estrogen and progesterone did not change their temperature choices, and blocking those hormones in females had no clear effect on preference. Based on these interventions, the authors concluded that testosterone plays a central role in shaping the behavioral difference — though it does not fully account for it. As the investigators noted, testosterone shifted preferences only partly, indicating additional unidentified factors are involved.
Because the hormonal effects developed over weeks, the team suggested testosterone likely acts indirectly rather than altering the sensor proteins immediately. One plausible hypothesis is that testosterone changes gene activity that in turn affects how sensory circuits respond, but the study did not establish a precise molecular mechanism.
What this means beyond the lab
The same ion channels examined in mice are present in humans, and prior human studies point to similar patterns of sensor behavior. The authors caution that they did not test people directly, but the findings offer a potential biological explanation for widely reported sex differences in temperature comfort.
Experts say the work could inform several areas: understanding everyday experiences of hot and cold, improving how buildings and public spaces are designed, and advancing research into disorders where temperature perception is abnormal, such as certain forms of neuropathic pain. The study’s authors and outside commentators described the results as adding useful detail to how peripheral sensors and hormones interact to shape thermal perception.
Study reference
The research is reported in: Vilar, B., & McNaughton, P. A. (2026). TRPM8 and TRPM2 ion channels determine sex differences in thermal preference in mice. The Journal of Physiology. https://doi.org/10.1113/jp288076
