Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 17, 2026

Field-Based Thermal Physiology Assay: Cold Shock Recovery under Ambient Conditions
Published on: March 9, 2021
Indoor human thermal adaptation: dynamic processes and weighting factors
M Luo1,2, B Cao1,3, Q Ouyang1,3
1Department of Building Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
Abstract:
In this study, we explore the correlations between indoor climate change and human thermal adaptation, especially with regard to the timescale and weighting factors of physiological adaptation. A comparative experiment was conducted in China where wintertime indoor climate in the southern region (devoid of space heating) is much colder than in the northern region (with pervasive district heating). Four subject groups with different indoor thermal experiences participated in this climate chamber experiment. The results indicate that previous indoor thermal exposure is an important contributor to occupants' physiological adaptation. More specifically, subjects acclimated to neutral-warm indoors tended to have stronger physiological responses and felt more uncomfortable in moderate cold exposures than those adapted to the cold. As for the driving force of thermal adaptation, physiological acclimation is an important aspect among all the supposed adaptive layers. However, the physiological adaptation speed lags behind changes in the overall subjective perception.
Related Concept Videos
Factors Affecting Body Temperature
Factors may include:
Mechanisms of Heat Transfer
Conduction, accounting for approximately 3% of body heat loss at rest, is the process of exchanging heat between molecules of two materials in direct contact. This can result in both heat loss and gain. For instance, when the body is submerged in water, which conducts heat 20 times more effectively than air, it can either lose or gain significant...
Requirements for Human Life
Oxygen
Atmospheric air is only about 20 percent oxygen, but that oxygen is a key component of the chemical reactions that keep the body alive, including the reactions that produce ATP. Brain cells are susceptible to a lack of oxygen because they require a...
Body Temperature
Body Temperature
The average body temperature is approximately 37°C (98.6°F) and typically ranges from 36.1–37.2°C...
Mechanism of heat transfer

