I never understood why temperature can sometimes feel different in different context. Thanks for educating me!
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My experience is completely the opposite. 70 can feel downright cool of it has been in the 90s for weeks. If it’s 50 degrees F in February, I’ll be pulling out the shorts.
Because 70 is the probably around the lowest it will go in summer versus 70 being around the highest it will go in Winter.
Think of it like cooking food.
Putting a pie in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 seconds has differents result then 10 minutes.
In Summer longer exposure to the same temp warms up everything, and it stays warmer for longer.
Many good responses highlighting the factors in playing into the perception of temperature. The unifying theme is that humans perceive temperature as heat flux rather than temperature itself.
Imagine grabbing onto a room temperature metal rod and a room temperature cloth towel. Which feels colder? They’re both the same temperature.
Your perception of coldness or warmth is how fast something external is able to drain or elevate your body heat.
Humid air can carry more heat away or to you. If it’s windy it always feels colder then not windy because the air you exchanged heat with is instantly replaced.
The same effect happens when you step out of the shower. The floor mat feels warm because it basically is unable to conduct heat away or to you. The tiles on the other hand are very good in conducting your body heat away so they feel cold. But the the floor mat and the tiles are at the same temperature. (They are also at the same temperature when you have floor heating but it feels the other way around because now the floor is hotter then your body temperature.)
Also something to realize is humans don’t feel temperature, we feel temperature gradients (temperature change). If you have your hand in 120F water, then put it in 90F water, it will feel cool/cold even though it is still 90F simply because it is colder than when your hand was in 120f water.
In my experience its the opposite. When it is 70 in the summer you might be cold in your shorts and flip flops, conversely if it gets to 70 in November or March you would be sweating in your coat.
i feel like the simple answer is that when its been cold for a while 70 feels very warm. then when its been 80-90 all summer, 70 feels cool in the fall.
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