I have felt colder in the last day or two than I have all winter. Why?
Because it’s been damp. But why does that make it feel colder? According
to this
page, “(t)he faster we lose heat to a substance, the colder it feels
to us.” Since wet air conducts heat better than dry air, we lose heat more
quickly to the air when the air is damp, and thus the air feels colder to
us. And, more to the point, it’s not just the air that feels colder to us-
we ourselves feel colder too. Now, you might want to argue that, since the
temperature is still the same, as measured by a thermometer, it isn’t
*really* colder, but I think that’s wrong. The important measure here
really *is* how fast we are losing heat, since that’s what determines
whether or not our body can maintain our core body temperature, and that’s
what’s really important. When we feel cold our body is saying “you are
losing heat at an uncomfortably high rate. Do something about that”.
Personally, I like to listen to my body- which explains why I am wearing
my polar fleece winter hat inside a 68 degree house today.
posted at 17:32 on Tue, 25 Apr, 2006 |
path: /living
All material copyrighted by Jen Schellinck. All rights reserved.