If I’m outside and I start to sweat very much then the sun on my sweat heats it up and I feel hotter than before so I wipe it off and feel cooler for awhile- doesn’t water, or sweat, act sort of like a “magnifying glass” that heats up the surface of the skin in the same way that if you wash your car in direct sunlight then it burns off/evaporates which leaves water marks on the car?
In: Biology
When you sweat your body puts warm water on your skin. If the air temperature is high enough and the relative humidity is low enough that water will turn in to water vapor and be blown away from you body by anything stronger than a light breeze. This process of turning into vapor pulls heat energy from the surrounding area like your skin and feels cool.
If where you are has high humidity or no breeze then your sweat will have a hard time turning into vapor and will not give you the cooling sensation. It just sits on you warming up and if it is in direct sunlight it will quickly get warmer than your body temperature so when you wipe it away that will feel cool.
I’ve felt cooler standing on the dunes in Saudi Arabia as the shamals blow down even though the air temperature was 42 degrees C (130 degrees F) than when it hit 32 degrees C (90 degrees F) and 100% humidity in Tokyo.
In the first I had to drink alot of water or risk health consequences. In the 2nd it just sucked
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