I live on the coast at the bottom of the South Island in New Zealand and the ocean here is FREEZING nearly all of the time.
Why is it that children can handle swimming in it but there is no way I (or any other adults I know), could get myself past feet deep in that water right now? Is their a physiological reason why, or is it just as cold to them but they dont care as much because they are having fun?
I loved swimming in the ocean at the same oceans my 5 year old does, when I was a kid, but as much as I want to join him there is NO WAY I can now!
Just one of the those things I've always wondered :-)
2007-01-22 16:41:32 · 4 answers · asked by notsotypicalblonde 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Medicine
It's probably a combination of their mind not being aware of water temp because they're busy having fun, their high metabolism keeping their bodies warm, and kids just seem to be more resilient than adults in many situations.
2007-01-22 17:17:27 · answer #1 · answered by collective224 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Probably they are having too much fun to notice how cold it is. I remember when I was a kid I always wanted to go play in the ocean when our family would go to the coast (living in the Pacific Northwest U.S.). My parents would never let me because even in the middle of summer it would get about 65 degrees for the high.
2007-01-23 00:46:57 · answer #2 · answered by tooqerq 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
one reason is that they have very active metabolisms that can keep their body temperature high better than an adult, so they keep themselves warm better.
it will make them a lot hungrier afterwards compared to swimming in warmer water.
2007-01-23 00:58:40 · answer #3 · answered by implosion13 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its psychological...you just have to jump in before you can think about it. if you think about it then you won't want to. kids are so excited about having fun that they don't even think about it being cold.
2007-01-23 00:46:32 · answer #4 · answered by anonymous 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋