Just about anyone who passed elementary school health class knows that most humans’ body temperature is 98.6 degrees. But why then do we “feel” hot when the mercury rises above 80 or so? I did the Google search so you don’t have to and Scientific American had the answer.

All of the normal processes that keep our body working properly release heat. The heart beating, limbs moving and the stomach digesting food are just some of the ways our body generates heat.

In order to keep everything working correctly, the body has to do something with that heat. It releases it in a variety of ways such as breathing out warm air, sweating and circulating blood close to the skin to allow heat to escape.

The machine that is your body does all this most efficiently when the air temperature is around 70 degrees. That explains why most people are most comfortable (not too hot, not too cold) when the air around them is at that level.

When it gets hot out that process is less efficient and not as much of the heat is able to escape, making us feel hotter.

Humidity, as just about everyone knows, makes things feel even worse. That is because moisture in the air impedes evaporation and helps lock even more heat in or near the body.