You stick your hand in the bathtub to check the temperature, and for a moment, your hand feels ice cold - but then only moments later, you realize that the water is actually piping hot.
This is one of those situations that probably most of us have experienced, but no one really knows the answer why something as paradoxical as this happens!
Temperature and Thermoreceptors
Temperature is actually just a measure of energy, and it depends on the speed of the molecules that move inside of a liquid or object.
Our brain receives information about something being hot or cold because of so-called thermoreceptors, specialized nerve endings that are located underneath our skin.
And there are different thermoreceptors for warm and cold temperatures.
We actually have more cold thermoreceptors than warm ones, and specific parts of our body, like the ears for example, have a very high concentration of cold thermoreceptors, which is why those body parts tend to feel cold very quickly.
How can something very hot feel cold ?!
This phenomenon is called "paradoxical cold", and scientists still aren't exactly sure why it occurs.
The most popular theory states that it's a misinterpretation of the thermoreceptor system, without any evolutionary advantage.
Pain receptors that warn the body of high heat operate on the same sensory fibers as cold receptors.
So the fiber signal could be misinterpreted as cold by the brain!
Also, signals from the cold thermoceptors can travel to the brain up to 10 times faster than signals from warm receptors, which is why we might feel as if something feels very cold at first, but only a split second later, we can already feel the "real", hot temperature.
Images: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
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