Why do Thais feel cold at 23 degrees?

[RamenRaven]

Whenever the temperature drops to 23 degrees C (74 degrees F) or lower in Chiang Mai, Thais start to say it's cold. Jackets all come out at 21-22 degrees, which does not make any sense to me. If you are wearing only a T-shirt and shorts at 19 degrees, they will think you have magical powers.

 

I told my American friends back home about this, and they simply could not believe me. It's typical for Americans to dress in T-shirts and shorts at 20 degrees, which is still considered relatively warm (or refreshingly, mildly cool spring / summer) weather by many of us. Anything about 20 degrees cannot possibly be "cold" at all.

 

I have lived in the hottest states in the US like California and Florida, so I am well acclimatized to warm climates. And I'm a skinny guy with hardly any body fat insulating me from actual cold conditions.

 

It's not just one or two Thais who say this. Every single frickin' person here says it's cold when it's 23 (or even 24) degrees. I remember the water delivery guy telling me that it's cold when the temperature was 25 (!) degrees outside.

I am a bit shocked. It's like they're cold-blooded creatures who cannot tolerate even slightly cool temperatures.

 

Any explanations?

Edited December 18, 2018 by RamenRaven

[BritManToo]

I feel cold at 25c and below.

[RamenRaven]

12 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

I feel cold at 25c and below.

Then how did you even survive all those decades of living in Britain?

The UK almost never reaches 25 C, so maybe you were cold every single second of your life. Either that or you must have gone Thai.

[BritManToo]

4 minutes ago, RamenRaven said:

Then how did you even survive all those decades of living in Britain?

The UK almost never reaches 25 C, so maybe you were cold every single second of your life. Either that or you must have gone Thai.

It's inexplicable, but my aircon is set at 27c or 28c at night, anything less is too cold to sleep, even with a blanket.

If I go outside and it's less than 25c, I'm looking for my big jacket and gloves (wore them this morning).

Edited December 18, 2018 by BritManToo

[wgdanson]

8 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

It's inexplicable, but my aircon is set at 27c or 28c at night, anything less is too cold to sleep, even with a blanket.

If I go outside and it's less than 25c, I'm looking for my big jacket and gloves (wore them this morning).

That's true. Set your aircon to 20 degrees and it's f...in' freezing. Set your heating to 20 in UK, and it's warm. Why?

[RamenRaven]

2 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

That's true. Set your aircon to 20 degrees and it's f...in' freezing. Set your heating to 20 in UK, and it's warm. Why?

 

Because Thailand transforms cold-loving Farang penguins into heat-loving Thai lizards! ????

 

Edited December 18, 2018 by RamenRaven

[trevoromgh]

32 minutes ago, RamenRaven said:

 

Because Thailand transforms cold-loving Farang penguins into heat-loving Thai lizards! ????

 

I don't know either.  BTW did you know your nickname sounds like a Chinese tourist ordering an ice cream? 

[observer90210]

quite a stupid launch ! ...anyone of us would feel cold on a night with 23°, after spending the day and being used to 35 °.... stop bickering and trying to feel supreriour on idiotic issues please OP ! .. quite a backward behaviour...

Edited December 18, 2018 by observer90210

[Bill Miller]

I suspect we from temperate climates are able to more easily "acclimate", as we spend most of our lives with much greater average temperature swings. Middletown CT in the US, near to where I grew up, has an average climatic range in the course of a year of 20F to 84F, or a sixty degree F range.
Note that I am talking averages. Plenty of below zero and over 100 degree days as well.
Bangkok, on the other hand, has average temps range of 70F to 95F, or only 25F range by comparison.
London shows a range of 35F, and of course at somewhat lower averages.
Thai people have been here long enough to evolve to their temperature range, I expect. No wonder my GF has been freezing her cute buns off on holiday with her daughter in Japan. They have snow there!☺️

[worgeordie]

30 years here and yes i feel the cold at this time of year,

if I ever returned to the UK i think a winter there would

do me in,getting older,blood getting thinner,I actually have

a shirt on today,and tonight i may wrap a blanket around

my shoulders if the temperature drops anymore.so its not

only Thai's that feel the chill.

regards Worgeordie

[eyecatcher]

4 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I feel cold at 25c and below.

dead right; the other morning I said its bloody nippy this morning, checked and it was 26 degs.

Its the temperature drop that's noticeable and we are used to 35+ every day

[eyecatcher]

4 hours ago, RamenRaven said:

Then how did you even survive all those decades of living in Britain?

The UK almost never reaches 25 C, so maybe you were cold every single second of your life. Either that or you must have gone Thai.

it works the other way in England, you get so used to the weather never getting higher than 12 degrees, when the next day is forecast for 23 degrees everyone rushes out and buys a bbq, they buy a paddling pool for the kids and on the day itself, shirts are off and sunglasses on.

Then on the news later that day, the government announces a hosepipe ban because they think the reservoirs will evapourate if we get a 2nd day of 23 degrees

[MaksimMislavsky]

I feel uncomfortable indoor as soon as it gets below 25C, so will use heater if possible. Outdoor even -25 is no problem with proper clothing. In Thailand there are no heaters, so 25 is the "chill threshold", indeed.

[mauGR1]

The body adapts to different temperatures, after 15 years in Thailand i feel cold around 20/22 degrees.

 

[RamenRaven]

I was expecting everyone here to agree with me, but then everybody here is as thin-blooded and cold-intolerant as a typical Thai, even people from cold countries. Why? Is it because you are all older?

 

None of my Farang friends in Thailand would think that 20 degrees is cold, so I wasn't expecting these responses. You're all making me feel like a polar bear or space alien 5555.

[RamenRaven]

4 hours ago, Bill Miller said:

I suspect we from temperate climates are able to more easily "acclimate", as we spend most of our lives with much greater average temperature swings. Middletown CT in the US, near to where I grew up, has an average climatic range in the course of a year of 20F to 84F, or a sixty degree F range.
Note that I am talking averages. Plenty of below zero and over 100 degree days as well.
Bangkok, on the other hand, has average temps range of 70F to 95F, or only 25F range by comparison.
London shows a range of 35F, and of course at somewhat lower averages.
Thai people have been here long enough to evolve to their temperature range, I expect. No wonder my GF has been freezing her cute buns off on holiday with her daughter in Japan. They have snow there!☺️

That's probably it. Even in warmers parts of the US, people would start to say it's cold when it's 50 F, not 75 F. Maybe it's also because American A/C temps frequently get set in the 60's, so people feel it's completely comfortable normal. I remember learning in school that 68 F is average room temperature, which would never happen in Thailand unless you were to go into a Tesco mini mart.

 

In fact, in the US, marathons actually get cancelled when the temperature goes above 70 F because many non-acclimatized Americans get heat stroke from such conditions. But that's just everyday weather in Thailand.

[Youlike]

7 hours ago, RamenRaven said:

Any explanations?

At night it's 27-28 and then the smell of burning plastic/wood usually arrives from far away so we have to close our windows. Guess the thai feel cold..

[grin]

I grew up in the US midwest where days below 0F in the winter and days over 100F in the summer were not that unusual with occasional extremes of -10F and 110F. In the winter we as kids were allowed to go out without our jackets when it reached 40F. The thermostat for the furnace was set to 68F in the winter and we only had a swamp cooler in the summer. Here I never wear a jacket when I go out as I never feel cold but occasionally wear a jacket when I'm up north in some place like Wiang Haeng. I have taken pictures here of people out in their parkas when I am still wearing shorts and a T-shirt. I find it much harder to acclimate to the hot weather.

[sirineou]

5 hours ago, wgdanson said:

That's true. Set your aircon to 20 degrees and it's f...in' freezing. Set your heating to 20 in UK, and it's warm. Why?

As the old saying goes "it's not the heat it's the humidity"

Air Conditioning removes moisture from the air as exhibited by  the water dripping outside the A/C unit. where most heating does not . Dry air feels colder than Humid air,

[RamenRaven]

1 hour ago, grin said:

I grew up in the US midwest where days below 0F in the winter and days over 100F in the summer were not that unusual with occasional extremes of -10F and 110F. In the winter we as kids were allowed to go out without our jackets when it reached 40F. The thermostat for the furnace was set to 68F in the winter and we only had a swamp cooler in the summer. Here I never wear a jacket when I go out as I never feel cold but occasionally wear a jacket when I'm up north in some place like Wiang Haeng. I have taken pictures here of people out in their parkas when I am still wearing shorts and a T-shirt. I find it much harder to acclimate to the hot weather.

Yeah, that's me right there. Looks like you're one of the few people replying to this thread who agrees with me! ????

 

It looks like lower muscle mass and lower metabolic rate among some of the older posters here might be why they don't tolerate the cold well.

https://www.upworthy.com/a-body-temperature-expert-explains-why-some-people-are-always-freezing

[billd766]

3 hours ago, RamenRaven said:

That's probably it. Even in warmers parts of the US, people would start to say it's cold when it's 50 F, not 75 F. Maybe it's also because American A/C temps frequently get set in the 60's, so people feel it's completely comfortable normal. I remember learning in school that 68 F is average room temperature, which would never happen in Thailand unless you were to go into a Tesco mini mart.

 

In fact, in the US, marathons actually get cancelled when the temperature goes above 70 F because many non-acclimatized Americans get heat stroke from such conditions. But that's just everyday weather in Thailand.

Quite often in April, May and June out here in rural Khampaeng Phet the temperature reaches 40F or 104F and higher.

 

Most people who live in the west have rarely seen temperatures that high and many of them would suffer heat stoke and rush to the hotel room/ shopping mall/apartment etc and crank the a/c down to 25C or 77F just to cool down.

[RamenRaven]

8 hours ago, observer90210 said:

quite a stupid launch ! ...anyone of us would feel cold on a night with 23°, after spending the day and being used to 35 °.... stop bickering and trying to feel supreriour on idiotic issues please OP ! .. quite a backward behaviour...

Chill out dude. No one in this thread ever ever said that people who feel cold are inferior to people who feel hot, or vice versa. In hot, sweltering Thailand, you are obviously superior, not me, since you will tolerate this oppressive tropical climate better than me. Plus in fact, I bet the ladies here will find you to be hot, not cold.

 

Learn to read in between the lines to see if people are in fact trying to portray you as inferior or not. Chances are, they're not. Social skillz man. Peace out.

 

[RamenRaven]

26 minutes ago, billd766 said:

Quite often in April, May and June out here in rural Khampaeng Phet the temperature reaches 40F or 104F and higher.

 

Most people who live in the west have rarely seen temperatures that high and many of them would suffer heat stoke and rush to the hotel room/ shopping mall/apartment etc and crank the a/c down to 25C or 77F just to cool down.

However, there are a few exceptions. The Southwest US and Australia see temperatures that regularly go up to 110F (44C) or more, although those places aren't humid. Thais will melt there.

[ZeVonderBearz]

They're told it's winter therefore it must be cold, they like the novelty of being able to wear a jacket for a reason other than protecting that white skin look so they don't get the dark peasant skin and it's actually colder than you think if you go out early morning/late night, especially on a motorbike. 

 

Thais probably wonder why farang sweat profusely and look a hot mess at any temperature above 28c. 

Edited December 18, 2018 by ZeVonderBearz

[thaibeachlovers]

Same reason I felt hot at 23 degrees.

[Bill97]

So many people with so little to do. Take a walk.


Sent from my iPod touch using Thaivisa Connect

[RamenRaven]

33 minutes ago, Bill97 said:

So many people with so little to do. Take a walk.


Sent from my iPod touch using Thaivisa Connect

I take lots of walks and move around a lot. That's why I get to feel warm when it's 20 degrees outside.

[Bill Miller]

13 hours ago, RamenRaven said:

Yeah, that's me right there. Looks like you're one of the few people replying to this thread who agrees with me! ????

 

It looks like lower muscle mass and lower metabolic rate among some of the older posters here might be why they don't tolerate the cold well.

https://www.upworthy.com/a-body-temperature-expert-explains-why-some-people-are-always-freezing

True that.
I have plenty of insulation, but low thyroid and other hormonal problems make me less excited to return "home", especially this time of year!
I have not had cold feet since living in Thailand.????

[KittenKong]

In Jomtien the temperature varies by only about 10 degrees at any time of year: maximum is usually in the low 30s and the minimum in the low 20s. So there really isnt much scope for locals to get used to temperature changes.

I compare it with places I lived in Europe where the record summer high was well over 40 and -20 was quite common in winter, giving a possible variation 6 times greater than here and a variation of at about 50 degrees (+38 to -12) pretty much every year.

[LomSak27]

Why do Thais feel cold at 23 degrees?

 

 

The same reason you feel hot at 30c   ????