Heat is more soothing than cold. There’s even an old tale about the battle between the sun and the wind as to which was strongest. The test was to make a man take off his coat. The wind couldn’t blow it off, but the sun’s heat could make him take it off.

After Winter the first sun warm enough to heat your shoulders is very welcome.

I find the need for warmth and light to be primal instincts. If you consider the opposite—darkness and cold—that conjures an image of isolation. That vitamin D from the sun is important to your health, too!

Soft tissue relaxes with heat and tenses with cold and ice.

I use a heating pad for my back at therapy and right this very minute, have ice on my knee to diminish pain. It is really uncomfortable but supposed to help swelling. And I can sense when frostbite is about to take over, which is after 20 minutes.

Confusing enough answer?

I love being warm. The sun is an extra special bonus; I think it is because of the vitamin D, and other properties in sunlight.

Being cold is so uncomfortable. It makes our muscles tense up; for me it is paralyzing. I tend to be cold, so finding a warm spot, or just being warm, is not only comforting, but freeing. It’s a survival thing that in cold temperatures our core has our vital organs so the body works hard to keep that part warm, and limbs and digits are less important. Because of this, we also draw our limbs in close to us to try and preserve them.

Some people run warm, and warm room temperatures are uncomfortable to them. They prefer the air temperature be cool, to breath in cool air. Especially while sleeping this seems to be desired by a lot of people. I hate it. Waking up cold actually pisses me off.

Another I notice is some people grew up with heavy blankets and the weight of the covers is comforting, while other people didn’t grow up with that, and really dislike the weight on top of them while they try to rest or even when they watch TV. It took me a while to convince my husband to blanket on while watching TV in the family room when the temperatures were cold.

It reminds you of being back in the womb. Unless you are of a more Freudian bent in which case it reminds you of your father.

Heat is energy. Our bodies do not have to work as hard when it is warm. Light, which usually accompanies the warmth, is safer than darkness. There is also the vitamin D factor mentioned above. And of course there are all those civilizations that worshiped the sun because it makes crops grow. Maybe there is an evolutionary component to our preference for warmth.

It is our life source!