# One hot red ear **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 26, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hot-red-ear/597608 "2011-09-26T00:52:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hot-red-ear/597608/1 "2011-09-26T00:52:44Z")
My son’s ear will sometimes turn bright red and feel warm to the touch. This used to happen to me when I was a kid. Any idea what’s making this happen? I understand the value of medical advice via the Internet, and am just looking casually for information. ---
**Author:** ![Crazyhorse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crazyhorse/32/31_2.png) [@Crazyhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazyhorse)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hot-red-ear/597608/2 "2011-09-26T01:02:13Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > My son’s ear will sometimes turn bright red and feel warm to the touch. > > This used to happen to me when I was a kid. > > Any idea what’s making this happen? Sure, heredity. 🙂 Oh you mean why it happens in the first place… No idea but for the sake of clarification, is this the entire visible ear that turns equally red or just some part of it? ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hot-red-ear/597608/3 "2011-09-26T01:48:33Z")
> [@Crazyhorse](#): > > Sure, heredity. 🙂 > > Oh you mean why it happens in the first place… No idea but for the sake of clarification, is this the entire visible ear that turns equally red or just some part of it? Just the outer sort of ring, down to the lob but not really the inner portion. ---
**Author:** ![kim\_okla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/d78d45/32.png) [@kim\_okla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kim_okla)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hot-red-ear/597608/4 "2011-09-26T01:52:14Z")
I asked a doctor that once (he was my boss) he said, “I don’t know mine does that too.” So I never found out. It’s the entire ear and hot to the touch. I have short hair so everyone gets to see. ---
**Author:** ![joebuck20](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/74df32/32.png) [@joebuck20](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joebuck20)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hot-red-ear/597608/5 "2011-09-26T01:52:28Z")
Don’t have an answer, but always wondered about this myself. I used to have the same problem when I was a kid, but it was both ears. They would get beet red and really hot. Sometimes I’d even splash water on to cool them down. ---
**Author:** ![Autolycus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/22d042/32.png) [@Autolycus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autolycus)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hot-red-ear/597608/6 "2011-09-26T06:40:06Z")
Maybe you are part Elvish. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 9:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hot-red-ear/597608/7 "2011-09-26T09:51:28Z")
A friend of mine is an architect and is well regarded amongst his peers as someone who can think notably well in complex three dimensional shapes. He is also bipolar. There is [some recent research](http://www.nature.com/news/1998/981210/full/news981210-7.html)that suggests that being bipolar is associated with slow switching between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. The study was done at University of Queensland (a couple of miles from where I’m sitting). My friend was one of the subjects of the study. When he is drawing something complicated and concentrating hard, his right ear goes bright red. The right hemisphere is of course that traditionally associated with spatial and visual thinking. I have witnessed this personally a couple of times. I have no idea what any of this means. Make of it what you will. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hot-red-ear/597608/8 "2011-09-26T13:43:19Z")
> [@Autolycus](#): > > Maybe you are part Elvish. Then he’d have a hot mama not a hot ear. Thank you, thank you very much. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hot-red-ear/597608/9 "2011-09-26T13:48:39Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Any idea what’s making this happen? Maybe someone’s posting about you on the internets. ---
**Author:** ![Meatros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Meatros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meatros)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hot-red-ear/597608/10 "2011-09-26T13:59:12Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > My son’s ear will sometimes turn bright red and feel warm to the touch. > > This used to happen to me when I was a kid. > > Any idea what’s making this happen? > > I understand the value of medical advice via the Internet, and am just looking casually for information. This happens to me. I’ve noticed that it often happens to one ear when I wear headphones (in both ears). Not every time, but certainly more than ever other time. That’s about the only ‘causal’ thing I can attribute it to - I haven’t thought it a big enough deal to ask the doctors about it. ---
**Author:** ![Hampshire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hampshire/32/4887_2.png) [@Hampshire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hampshire)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hot-red-ear/597608/11 "2011-09-26T14:50:31Z")
It’s his “tell”. When his ear turns red it means you’re near his hidden porn collection. Seriously though they are my “tell” when I get angry but am trying to hide it. I’ve been in business meetings where I get pissed at something being discussed but have to hide my anger and sit straight faced. However a co-worker will tell me how my ears got bright red at certain points in the meeting. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hot-red-ear/597608/12 "2011-09-26T15:10:06Z")
This happens to me as well. It happened most often when I was a kid, my parents put a jar part full of water in the freezer that I would hold against my ear when it happened. I hadn’t thought about it in decades, but then it started up again with several episodes in the last few years. My internet searching of this proved fruitless, although there were hints that is was probably circulation related. Is is always the same ear or does it switch? ---
**Author:** ![apollonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@apollonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apollonia)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/one-hot-red-ear/597608/13 "2011-09-26T20:34:35Z")
I have no idea, but it happens to me and my dad. When I was small my mom referred to it as my “external thermometer,” because if I was feverish, my ears would turn bright red, and usually led to a quick temperature by Mom. It still happens occasionally, but it correlates much less now with when I’m feeling ill or overheated. Now it just tends to happen for no good reason.