The temperature was a lot higher today. Most of the snow was gone by the time I walked home. Actually, there were a few slippy bits on my walk to the bus stop but, by the time I returned, they had all turned to slush. Not that it deterred people from wearing too many clothes.
A lot of Swedish women wear long, quilted black coats. When walking behind them, it looks like a congregation of black beetles. And kids are bundled up like big, cuddly teddy bears – they look a bit like Maggie Simpson. Even the men wear big jackets and beanies. Obviously, when it’s cold, that’s expected, but I don’t think it was warranted today.
As I watched a group of people getting on the bus, rugged up like it was a long way below zero, I was reminded of a podcast we listened to on our way across Germany earlier this year. It was about a thing called brown fat. The Wiki entry is here, but I’ll summarise it as I understand it to be.
Brown fat is a layer of fat around the spinal column which regulates the body’s temperature. Most prevalent in new born babies, it is activated when the body gets too cold or, I suppose, too hot. (Though mine is pretty useless when it gets too hot.) Like anything in the human body, it needs some form of exercise to keep it in good working order. In this case, the exercise is exposure to various temperatures.
For instance: Every morning, the first thing I do is let the dogs out to go to the toilet. Regardless of the weather, I don’t put shoes on and go outside in my pyjamas. Being here, in Sweden, in winter, I know it’s cold, but I’m out there for like three minutes. I had no idea I was doing this for any purpose other than I’m too lazy to put anything else on. The same goes for trips down to the letter box or the bins, though I do put on shoes for those and I have generally changed from pyjamas to jeans and t-shirt.
The temperature in this house has been set for a high of 19°, at home, I have it set at 18°. This seems ideal for the both of us. The temperature on buses and in shops here (and the UK) is set much higher and I find I’m forever taking off layers.
What I think is happening is that people have stopped exercising their brown fat and, therefore, need to stay rugged up almost constantly as its temperature control properties diminish. Sort of like when muscles waste away from not being used.
In Scandinavia, there’s a well-worn and overused saying: “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes”. I think it should refer to both bad and good weather. Especially with fossil fuels running out and energy being so expensive. Heaters and air conditioning could easily be things of the past. Humans need to learn to live with the cold. Or die out.
On a happier note, here’s the difference that two days make. I took the top photo on Monday, and the bottom one today.
