Not too long ago, scientists figured out that human body temperature sits at 98.6 degrees so that our bodies are hot enough to ward off fungal infections while still being cool enough to keep us from eating all the time just to maintain metabolism. You may have questioned why the body is so hot in the past. But have you ever wondered why 98 degrees feels unbearable when we’re standing outside on a hot summer’s day? Common sense would say we should be comfortable in temperatures that match our internal temperatures — at least until you break down the science behind it.

In short, our body temperature stays the same in cold and hot weather thanks to thermoregulation. All the heat our organs produce from working keeps temperatures high. As the folks over at Mental Floss describe in their YouTube video, the optimal temperature for humans is somewhere around 70 degrees — the comfort zone. Anything higher, and the body begins to overheat from all that work the organs are putting in combined with outside temperatures. This is when the body begins to implement various cooling mechanisms, with the most familiar one being sweating.

We’ll let you check out the video for Mental Floss’ more in-depth explanation. But the next time you find yourself in one of these hot and sticky situations, revel in the fact that sweating isn’t bad for you at all. Besides it lowering your risk of deadly heat stroke, there are also a range of benefits that it confers, from helping you avoid pimples to lowering your risk of painful kidney stones.