Ask Chicagoist: How'd We Get So Hot?

By Sarah in Miscellaneous on Jul 27, 2005 3:14PM

So we were checking out the dragon boat races on Saturday (pdf alert!), and along with everyone else in the Prairie State, we were sweating profusely. To distract from our mounting layers of jealousy about not being ON a dragon boat, cruising along the Chicago River in that ultimate display of sporty belonging, our mind wandered to the rivulets of sweat making their way down our back. We wondered to ourselves: "Chicagoist, why do we feel so hot? Our bodies are already 98.6 degrees, so when it's that hot outside, shouldn't the world just feel like an amazing spa? Why are we so uncomfortable?"

We pulled out the Ask Chicagoist phone and called our friend Franklin, a Floridian Physicist turned Artist/Surfer, since who on earth knows what's what on a hot day better than him? Here's what Franktastic had to say:

"Turns out your organs create most of your heat. Since your body is typically in a cooler environment than 98.6 your body is always creating lots of heat and relying on your skin and sweating to let out the heat it doesn’t need. The heater never turns off – even when it's in the 90s outside, your organs are still heating full steam but your skin can’t get rid of the extra heat so you just get hotter."

Of course we like to hear "you just get hotter" (thanks, Franklin! so do you!) and any reference that compares our body to a machine, like cars in elementary school nutrition class. "Does your dad put put soda pop and cheetos in your gas tank? No, because its not good fuel for your car!"

We're still sure there must be some nirvana-esque heat equilibrium out there, a perfect 98.6 state where life goes on within you and without you. Something to ponder next time the mercury hits the triple digits.

Feeling steamy? Need some advice? Email Ask(at)Chicagoist.com