When body temperature falls, which corrective mechanism is commonly activated?

When body temperature falls, which corrective mechanism is commonly activated?

• A. No production of sweat
• B. Shivering
• C. Increased sweating
• D. Hair color changes

Answer: (B)

When the body’s core temperature drops, the brain detects this and calls for heat-making responses. The most immediate and common one is shivering—the rapid, involuntary contraction of skeletal muscles. That extra activity raises metabolic rate and generates heat, helping to warm the body back up toward its normal set point. Other options don’t fit the goal of warming: stopping sweating helps conserve heat, but increasing sweating would cool the body, and changes in hair color don’t actively regulate temperature (hair standing on end is a minor, less effective insulation in humans). So, shivering is the key corrective mechanism for warming when cold.

When the body’s core temperature drops, the brain detects this and calls for heat-making responses. The most immediate and common one is shivering—the rapid, involuntary contraction of skeletal muscles. That extra activity raises metabolic rate and generates heat, helping to warm the body back up toward its normal set point. Other options don’t fit the goal of warming: stopping sweating helps conserve heat, but increasing sweating would cool the body, and changes in hair color don’t actively regulate temperature (hair standing on end is a minor, less effective insulation in humans). So, shivering is the key corrective mechanism for warming when cold.