Why Teens Wear Hoodies When It's Hot Revisited
Close-up of a young hipster dressed in a sweatshirt and jeans sitting sad in a skate park and ... More holding a skateboard
Three years ago I penned a piece asking why teens wear hoodies in the summer heat and explored whether science could explain it. It was inspired by my curiosity, scientific background and being a father of teenage boy. He and his friend group are certainly fans of the practice. In that article, I tried to approach the topic from an objective, scientific and compassionate perspective. Anchoring to an essay by Ian Lecklitner in Mel Magazine titled, 'Stop Bagging on People Who Wear Hoodies During Summer," I explored reasons such as UV or insect protection, body image concerns, emotional comfort (the weighted blanket effect) and availability of pockets. Though all plausible, it still lacked enough scientific backing for my taster, yet my curiosity remained. As I continued to explore the scientific literature, additional scientific data caught my eye.
As noted previously, there is already a robust library of studies on weighted blankets as a support mechanism for people with insomnia, on the autism spectrum, or dealing with stress. A Harvard press release noted, 'The blankets are supposed to work much the same way tight swaddling helps newborns feel snug and secure so they can doze off more quickly. The blanket basically simulates a comforting hug, in theory helping to calm and settle the nervous system.' Ledklitner argued that hoodies serve in a similar fashion for teens.
Weighted blankets on display in a Saatva mattress showroom in New York, Dec. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Mary ... More Conlon)
While my son's generation wears regular hoodies, there is a actually a weighted hoodie market out there too. Writing on the website RenegadeCounseling.com, Annabelle Denmark wrote, 'Numerous studies underscore the positive effects of even weight distribution on adults dealing with neurodivergence, anxiety, or complex trauma. This practice has been shown to elevate serotonin levels, fostering a sense of relaxation, grounding, and improved focus.'
However, I wanted to dig deeper than the weighted hoodies and emotional support theory. Dr. Vanessa Beck at the University of Leicester wrote an excellent essay dismantling false narratives about teens who wear hoodies. She argued, 'Whilst some of these characteristics (poverty, ethnicity, etc.) might conform to the stereotype of the hooded youth, there are far broader issues at stake here that require governmental and societal attention.' Her writing resonated with me as the father of a respectful, intelligent kid who may be stereotyped while wearing a black hoodie.
Madhumanti Majumdar is a psychologist and special needs educator. In 2024, she documented her discussions with teens about wearing hoodies in a blog titled, 'The Hoodie Culture: Fighting insecurities and vulnerabilities one hoodie at a time.' Her findings align with observations that any parent of a teenager understands. These include peer culture, confidence, and personal perspective. She stated, 'The recurring words I heard — like 'safety net,' 'secure,' 'vulnerable,' 'comfortable,' and 'feeling confident' — left me astonished. It's remarkable how wearing a hoodie can evoke such deep feelings and emotions!' Like my first foray into this topic, she came away with a new perspective.
However, the weather and climate scientist in me still needed more because my non-scientific, speculative observations reveal that it is mostly teen boys that seem to wear hoodies during the summer or on hot days. A 2020 study published in the Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles caught my interest. The study focused on teenagers' self-identified cold tolerance and wearing behavior inside and outside the classroom during the winter season. Generally, they found very few differences in behavior, however, female students were found to be more sensitive to the cold, which prompted them to wear more clothing. Other studies have shown that men exhibit greater tolerance to heat exposure and smaller increases in their core body temperature though confounding factors may complicate such findings. There are studies that suggest that as boys and girls get older hormonal differences cause men to sweat more. Sweat functions as a cooling mechanism for our bodies.
I am no expert on these topics so defer to them ultimately. My point here is there no conclusive smoking gun in the literature about difference in tolerance between boys and girls that might explain my speculative observations. Which brings me back to the emotional support hypothesis. Recent data suggests that mental health is increasingly a major challenge for teens. That same data notes that teen girls are particularly struggling. Anita Slomski wrote a summary of a recent CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey for the JAMA Network. She said, 'According to the survey findings, which included data from more than 17 000 students in 152 public and private schools, 57% of teen girls reported feeling persistently sad or hopeless in the past year—a nearly 60% increase from 36% in 2011. In contrast, 29% of teen boys reported feeling this way in 2021, an increase from 21% in 2011.'
My deeper dive revealed some interesting things from a scientific and cultural perspective regarding teens and hoodies. However, I think Madhumanti Majumdar nails it. She went on to say, 'Ultimately, the decision to use a hoodie in this manner is a personal one, and what may be effective for one individual may not be for another.' Many of you reading this have likely chosen an outfit or piece of clothing based on how it made you feel or look, so we have to check our judgment of teens at the door.
I resonate with the 'to each their own' perspective, but my reasons for thinking about this topic in the first place circles back to my area of expertise. Our summers are getting warmer. According to NOAA, 2024 was the warmest year since 1850 and by a significant margin. They pointed out, 'Earth's temperature has risen by an average of 0.11° Fahrenheit (0.06° Celsius) per decade since 1850, or about 2° F in total…. The 10 warmest years in the historical record have all occurred in the past decade (2015-2024).'
Global average surface tempeature difference s since 1850.
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