I have said it is more comfortable with the swamp cooler working. There is definite science behind this.
Humid air is more dense than dry air. If you run a fan in humid air, it actually moves a greater volume than with dry air. You will feel the air from a ceiling fan more in humid air than in dry air. It's not imagination.
Convective cooling requires some level of humidity. Dry air only dries the moisture on the skin and has minimal, if any, cooling effect. Sweat or moisture must remain on the skin long enough to affect heat transfer. If it dries too quickly, this is not accomplished. (Note this effect becomes reversed if the humidity is too high but too high is considered over 60 perecent.)
Humid air is cleaner than dry air to some degree. Particles remain suspended in dry air. In humid air, more particles become weighted down. This is aside from the positive pressure effect of a swamp cooler, which partially filters incoming air and pressure forces dust from entering through windows and doors. Unless the wind is blowing with enough force to overcome that pressure.
Excessively dry skin takes longer to heal than skin with sufficient moisture. This is a known issue in wound care here. Dry skin is also more prone to infection, if the skin cannot flush microbes away and they remain on the skin long enough to multiply. Besides, dry skin makes you look older.
Your lungs work better with adequate humidity. Lungs also require humidity to affect transfer of waste and debris. The lungs are also one of the major sources of heat transfer for the body, which helps cool you down in hot weather. If waste material is not removed effectively, it can accumulate, reducing heat transfer further, cause inflammation and possibly lead to higher risk of infection. Again, if infection or inflammation sets in, it takes longer to heal. (This is why we use humidifiers for respiratory illness. The kind which only scent the air do not add moisture, they only act as a mild irritant which increases respiratory secretions.)
In short, there are physical reasons people have more energy in forests, along seashores and around lakes and rivers. It's not all psychological. The moisture is one part of that. (Higher nitrogen content also play into that but is a different subject. However, it's one benefit to using well water for the swamp cooler.)
Humid air is more dense than dry air. If you run a fan in humid air, it actually moves a greater volume than with dry air. You will feel the air from a ceiling fan more in humid air than in dry air. It's not imagination.
Convective cooling requires some level of humidity. Dry air only dries the moisture on the skin and has minimal, if any, cooling effect. Sweat or moisture must remain on the skin long enough to affect heat transfer. If it dries too quickly, this is not accomplished. (Note this effect becomes reversed if the humidity is too high but too high is considered over 60 perecent.)
Humid air is cleaner than dry air to some degree. Particles remain suspended in dry air. In humid air, more particles become weighted down. This is aside from the positive pressure effect of a swamp cooler, which partially filters incoming air and pressure forces dust from entering through windows and doors. Unless the wind is blowing with enough force to overcome that pressure.
Excessively dry skin takes longer to heal than skin with sufficient moisture. This is a known issue in wound care here. Dry skin is also more prone to infection, if the skin cannot flush microbes away and they remain on the skin long enough to multiply. Besides, dry skin makes you look older.
Your lungs work better with adequate humidity. Lungs also require humidity to affect transfer of waste and debris. The lungs are also one of the major sources of heat transfer for the body, which helps cool you down in hot weather. If waste material is not removed effectively, it can accumulate, reducing heat transfer further, cause inflammation and possibly lead to higher risk of infection. Again, if infection or inflammation sets in, it takes longer to heal. (This is why we use humidifiers for respiratory illness. The kind which only scent the air do not add moisture, they only act as a mild irritant which increases respiratory secretions.)
In short, there are physical reasons people have more energy in forests, along seashores and around lakes and rivers. It's not all psychological. The moisture is one part of that. (Higher nitrogen content also play into that but is a different subject. However, it's one benefit to using well water for the swamp cooler.)
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