It’s actually an even greater level of abstraction: we feel the rate of heat flow through our skin. This is (kind-of) why plastic feels warmer than metal. Colder things don’t feel colder because they are colder. Colder things feel colder because they more efficiently sap heat from our skin. Wet things feel colder because water and other highly conductive fluids which have wet the skin (and are thus in direct contact with it) are much more efficient in removing heat, thus feeling colder. This is the twofold reason why oil doesn’t feel as cold as water: it has significantly worse heat conductivity, and it doesn’t readily evaporate (as evaporation is a highly endothermic process, sapping heat even more efficiently than a conductive liquid on its own.)
Oh yeah? Well menthol tricks your nerves into thinking they’re losing more heat than they are, so if you dissolve a tiny crystal of menthol in everclear, you can make a tincture to rub on a part of your body that’s sweating, and it will feel naturally cool for about ten minutes, reducing discomfort from both heat and sweat! How’s that for “actually useful”?
It’s actually an even greater level of abstraction: we feel the rate of heat flow through our skin. This is (kind-of) why plastic feels warmer than metal. Colder things don’t feel colder because they are colder. Colder things feel colder because they more efficiently sap heat from our skin. Wet things feel colder because water and other highly conductive fluids which have wet the skin (and are thus in direct contact with it) are much more efficient in removing heat, thus feeling colder. This is the twofold reason why oil doesn’t feel as cold as water: it has significantly worse heat conductivity, and it doesn’t readily evaporate (as evaporation is a highly endothermic process, sapping heat even more efficiently than a conductive liquid on its own.)
Sorry these facts are actually useful, please leave. ;)
Oh yeah? Well menthol tricks your nerves into thinking they’re losing more heat than they are, so if you dissolve a tiny crystal of menthol in everclear, you can make a tincture to rub on a part of your body that’s sweating, and it will feel naturally cool for about ten minutes, reducing discomfort from both heat and sweat! How’s that for “actually useful”?
This is so cool to know!!! Thank you!