Does being cold give you a cold?

The age old conception that being outside in cold weather will give you a cold is completely false. Even though it used to be a commonly held idea, colds are not caused in any way by temperature. 

Here are a few reasons for the misconceptions and why they are false:

1. Colds are caused by viruses which are not living and circulate equally well in warm and cold weather equally.

2.  Colds are more common in the winter because people spend more time indoors and are in closer contact which increases virus transmission.

3. Cold weather stimulates the body's immune system by stimulating the increase of norepinephrine which is a hormone that acts as a natural decongestant.

4. Being outside will generally lower your contact with other humans, thereby decreasing your chances of receiving a virus by contact with someone else.

While being in severe cold for long periods of time can cause hypothermia, being cold does not in any way give you a cold. The next time your grandmother tells you to put your coat on before you go outside so that you don't catch a cold, you can tell her that you are preventing a cold by not wearing your jacket.