Eli5: Does shivering really help us warm up?

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I’ve always been told that shivering/teeth chattering when cold is supposed to help our bodies warm up. However, I’ve never been in a situation where I’ve been cold enough to shiver and have also noticed a positive difference in my body temperature after the shivering started. So why do we still shiver if it doesn’t help all that much? Or does it help but in a way we cannot really feel?

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4 Answers

Anonymous 0 Comments

Yes, it very much helps. But it can also be subtle. It is perhaps easier to notice if you are sitting still in the cold vs. moving around and doing something physical; you will notice you warm up when you exert yourself, right? That same thing happens when you shiver, just your body won’t reflexively shiver except when you are getting really cold.

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