Why do freezers feel colder when it’s cold outside?

Question

This might not be a relatable question to anyone who doesn’t work in food service or otherwise have regular access to large walk-in freezers. When the air temperature outside is warm (or even in commercial kitchens, hot) going into the walki-in cooler or freezer can be a refreshing respite from the heat. But when the seasons shift and the air temps start to get colder, it feels like the same walk-ins are almost bitingly cold. Why does it feel colder in there when I’m already cold than when I’m hot?

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Answer 1

Because while your body is really quite excellent at regulating it’s core temperature, the vast majority of your nerves are very close to the surface – in your skin and your skin is also what is the most focused on regulating your body temperature.

If it’s hotter than optimal your body is expending energy sweating trying to cool down and at that time of you walk into a freezer for a minute it’s literally a relief to that work your body (skin primarily) is doing and that feels good. If you’re already cold your body is expending energy trying to warm up. Pores closing, body hair bristling, shivering maybe even. When you walk into a freezer at those times your body suddenly has to work even harder to try to stay warm and that feels bad to you, you are naturally averse to wasting energy and enjoy conserving energy.

Now for a couple three bonus interesting points. If instead of walking back out a minute or two later, you were to get locked in that freezer you would be in more trouble faster in the summer when you’re body is in cool down mode than in the winter when your body is in heat conserving mode. This is assuming that the freezer’s actual temperature is the same. Depending on the quality of its thermostats, seals and especially how it’s vented the freezer may actually be colder when it’s cold outside – and finally, through meditation a person can literally shift their bodies from hot to cold modes so if you are truly mindful you can actually choose to perceive these sensations differently (and some people just do this naturally)