system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why does water, even at room temperature, always feel colder?
gpt
Water has a very high specific heat. This is a fancy way of saying it takes a lot of energy to increase water's temperature.

So when your 98.6 degree hand comes into contact with 70 degree water, it feels cold because your body heat cannot warm up the water surrounding your hand nearly as much as it can for air or other substances, which have lower specific heats. This is why 70 degree air feels warmer by comparison.