ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Temperature paradox

Okay, kiddo, let's talk about temperature paradox. Have you ever felt hot and sweaty when it's really cold outside or shivered even though it's sunny and warm? That's the temperature paradox.

See, our bodies have different ways of sensing temperature. We have receptors that detect the temperature on our skin and receptors that sense the temperature inside our bodies. Sometimes, these different receptors can send mixed signals to our brain, causing confusion.

For example, when it's cold outside, our skin receptors tell our brain that it's cold, but our internal receptors might think our body temperature is too high. So, our brain responds by telling our body to sweat, even though it's already cold, making us feel more uncomfortable.

Likewise, when it's warm outside, our skin receptors might tell our brain it's warm, but our internal receptors might sense that our body temperature is too low, causing us to shiver to generate heat and make us feel chilly even though it's warm outside.

So, the temperature paradox happens because different parts of our body sense temperature differently and can sometimes send mixed signals to our brain, confusing it, and causing us to feel uncomfortable in unexpected ways.