"Normal" body temperature is 98.6 degrees F - so why do we feel hot outdoors when temp is in the 80's & 90's?

We are always generating heat, and our equilibrium of 98.6 assumes a lower "cold sink" outside the body, perhaps from 60 to 75 degrees, which is more natural. That is, we feel "comfortable" at about 70 degrees outside because this allows our body temperature to be at its natural equilibrium. If the outside temperature goes way below this, then we lose heat faster than we can generate it. If the outside temperature goes way above this 70 degree or so, then we don't lose heat as fast as our body "wants", and so our body heats up a little above 98.6, and we feel hot. (Even if our body only gets to 99.6, we feel very hot indeed.)

Our CORE temp of 98.6 is on avg. Some people run cooler some hotter. The body can only adjust this temp by 1 -3 degrees during normal activity. Our body cannot adjust this temp instantly so leaving a cool environment into a warm one our body is continuing to increase the core temp and it takes about 15-30 minutes before the body can adjust to the new temp (by that time we are already uncomfortable). Our skin plays a role in this as well because it is super sensitive to temp changes and the brain attempts to compensate for the temp change but the body can't move fast enough to keep up with the drastic change. If you slowly increased the temp around you (such as the time it takes for the AC to turn back on) your body is constantly adjusting but the temp change is slow enough so we don't feel uncomfortable during this AC cycle.

That is a great question. I hope someone can give a good answer, becaue I don't know, that's weird.

we can perspire properly, worse when it is humid

thats becouse our inside may ba hot but our skin which is sensitive it makes it more hot

98.6 degrees is our CORE temperature. It feels hot to us when it reaches the 80's and 90's because of the sensitivity of our epidermal layer, which is getting heated faster than it can cool us at those temperatures. And besides, it's just HOT.

Good question. If you actually sit in the shade when its 98 degrees out and don't move, you should be fine, and actually quite comfortable, but when the temp is in the mid 80's you generally spend more time in the sun, and move around alot, burning calories and making the body do more work, so that makes your body feel warmer, thus causing you to sweat and try to cool down.

Because the heat that our bodies generates doesn't flow into the surounding air as rapidly. Also, if it's humid, we don't lose heat through perspiration as rapidly and so we feel hotter. Most people are most comfortable around 74 to 76 F with about 20% to 25% relative humidity. Doug

I would say because that is our inside that is 98.6 degrees where we don't have sence of feeling the heat.. Our skin is what feels the temp and lets us know if it is hot or not. I know it's strange our skin cant feel from the inside but can from the out.