corylea: A woman gazing at the sky (Default)
Corylea ([personal profile] corylea) wrote in [personal profile] drwex 2019-06-18 04:15 pm (UTC)

That's a fascinating story; thanks for sharing it!

There's a story from the early days of psychological testing that I've always loved. Some people handle hot weather very well, and others wilt in it. Some people handle cold weather very well, and others become lethargic in it. The armed forces really needed to know which people could handle extreme temperatures, for missions in the Arctic or on the equator.

They turned the problem over to psychologists, and psychologists designed all kinds of tests to try to figure out who could best handle extreme cold or extreme heat, but none of the tests was as accurate as they really wanted.

It turned out that the best thing to do was to ASK the soldiers. :-) People know what their own reactions to extreme temperatures are like, and if you want to know, they'll tell you.

I wilt once the temperature breaks 75, so when it's 80 degrees and everyone else is talking about what a lovely day it is, I'm huddled next to my air conditioner with a glass of ice water. But when it's 30 degrees and everyone else is shivering, I think it's a lovely day for a walk. :-) Looking at me now, one would guess that it's because of all this insulation I'm carrying, but I was like that even as a teenager, when I stood 5' 10" and weighed 120 pounds. My maternal grandmother was the same way, so it doesn't surprise my family as much as it surprises other people. :-)

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