The Answer - Not all sweating is for cooling the body.
Humans have two major types of sweating
Thermoregulatory sweating
-Heat, exercise
-Generalized (especially forehead, trunk)
-Dissipates heat
Emotional sweating
-Anxiety, fear, stress, pain
-Palms, soles, axillae
-Sympathetic โfight-or-flightโ response
When a student becomes anxious:
1. The limbic system (emotional centers of the brain) is activated.
2. This stimulates the hypothalamus.
3. Sympathetic pathways activate eccrine sweat glands, particularly on the palms, soles, and axillae.
4. Sweating occurs even when body temperature is normal or low.
Therefore, a student may have:
* Cold hands
* Sweaty palms
* Damp armpits
* Palpitations
* Tremulousness
all while sitting in an air-conditioned room.
Why palms and soles?
Emotional sweating is thought to improve:
* Grip and friction during stress
* Handling objects
* Evolutionary survival during โfight-or-flightโ situations