Eli5: if humans run at 37.5 degrees Celsius why do temperatures lower than that feel hotter?

Question

Thinking about this while I sit in 20 degrees heat sweating my ass off. Like shouldn’t anything under 37 degrees feel cold to us?

In: 34

Answer 1

Sitting in the sun, beyond what other’s have said about skin temperature, causes sunlight to be absorbed by the electrons in your skin and quickly release that energy as heat. Even if it is, say, 20C, your skin can get well above that in direct sunlight. It’s also why a car sitting closed in a 27C day can reach up to 35-40C, which is why it can kill unattended children or animals.