Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

Few-School-3869 t1_jaeqtvl wrote

We feel warm when our body needs to either produce less heat or dissipate it more efficiently (by sweating or changing the blood circulation pattern).

So we feel warm at lower than body temperature, when the natural metabolic rate of our body produces more heat that can be dissipated without extra effort such as sweating.

What we call feeling cold or warm is not a measure of the temperature, it is a signal for our body to modify behavior to keep its temperature constant.

​

https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/377814/why-do-we-feel-hot-when-temperature-is-relatively-high-even-though-it-might-be-l#:~:text=So%20we%20feel%20warm%20at,extra%20effort%20such%20as%20sweating.

254

The_White_Light t1_jaetu6c wrote

This is why water feels colder than air at the same temperature, because water has a higher heat capacity than air so it will take it away from you that much faster.

106

koolaidman89 t1_jaequgf wrote

Our bodies produce heat. We need to give off heat to maintain the right temperature. For most of us somewhere around 70 degrees F is the temperature where we are in equilibrium with the rate of heat we produce being matched with the rate we lose to the surroundings. When the air is 90 deg F we still lose heat but not quickly enough. This is why we sweat so that we can boost our heat loss through evaporation.

Humidity, air density, and wind all change the temperature at which we reach equilibrium.

127

InukChinook t1_jaey4d9 wrote

What we feel as temperature is actually the difference in temperature between ourselves and the environment. Our bodies are constantly giving off heat, so when we're in warmer environments we can't give off as much heat, making us feel warmer. It's like filling a sink with an overflow drain. If that hole is clogged (too much clothes) or more water enters the sink than can be drained (too hot of an environment), the sink overflows (we feel warm)

10