🕷️ Crawler Inspector

URL Lookup

Direct Parameter Lookup

Raw Queries and Responses

1. Shard Calculation

Query:

Response:

Calculated Shard: 84 (from laksa065)

2. Crawled Status Check

Query:

curl -X POST \
  'http://laksa084.int.ahrefs:8124/' \
  -H 'Content-Type: text/plain' \
  -H 'X-ClickHouse-Database: crawler3' \
  -H 'Authorization: Basic YXBpOg==' \
  -d 'SELECT getAhrefsURLFromUnparsed(src_unparsed) AS found_url, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(download_stamp), 0) AS crawl_time, ifNull(toUnixTimestamp(props_url_first_seen), 0) AS first_indexed_time, download_http_code AS http_code, src_unparsed AS src_unparsed, src_root_hash AS src_root_hash, history_drop_reason AS history_drop_reason, meta_title AS meta_title, meta_descriptions AS meta_descriptions, attrs_boilerpipe_text AS attrs_boilerpipe_text, attrs_markdown AS attrs_markdown, attrs_readable_markdown AS attrs_readable_markdown, meta_canonical AS meta_canonical FROM crawler3.page_info_local FINAL PREWHERE (src_root_hash, src_unparsed) IN ((getAhrefsRootHashFromUnparsed(getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/well/live/fever-normal-body-temperature.html\')), getAhrefsUnparsedNoserviceFromURL(\'https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/well/live/fever-normal-body-temperature.html\'))) FORMAT JSONEachRow'

Response:

{"found_url":"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/10\/12\/well\/live\/fever-normal-body-temperature.html","crawl_time":1769853641,"first_indexed_time":1697101429,"http_code":200,"src_unparsed":"com,nytimes!www,\/2023\/10\/12\/well\/live\/fever-normal-body-temperature.html s443","src_root_hash":"4566504020376537684","history_drop_reason":null,"meta_title":"What Is a Fever? Why Your Body Temperature May Be Cooler Than 98.6 Degrees - The New York Times","meta_descriptions":["Here’s why we appear to be getting cooler, and what that could mean when it comes to fevers."],"attrs_boilerpipe_text":"Advertisement\nSKIP ADVERTISEMENT\nHere’s why we appear to be getting cooler, and what that could mean when it comes to fevers.\nCredit...\nPete Gamlen\nOct. 12, 2023\nOver the past few decades, evidence has been mounting that the average human body temperature is not really 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead, most people’s baseline is a little bit cooler.\nThe standard of 98.6 was established over 150 years ago by the German physician Dr. Carl Wunderlich, who reportedly took over a million measurements from 25,000 people. Temperatures ranged from 97.2 to 99.5, and the average was 98.6. Dr. Wunderlich also established 100.4 degrees as “probably febrile.”\nHowever, a\nstudy\npublished in September that evaluated the temperatures of more than 126,000 people between 2008 and 2017 found that the average is closer to 97.9 degrees. Other modern-day studies have reported\nsimilar numbers\n.\nExperts who study body temperature have differing opinions about why we appear to have gotten cooler over time, and whether that matters when it comes to evaluating fevers and diagnosing infections.\nWhy 98.6 is off base\nSome researchers say it could just be a measurement issue — Dr. Wunderlich might have assessed temperatures using different methods and standards than we do today.\nOne account\nreports that he used a foot-long thermometer that went into a person’s armpit.\nMany factors can influence a body temperature reading, the most significant being where you take it: Rectal temperatures are reliably higher than oral temperatures, which are reliably higher than readings taken from the skin. Body temperature is also influenced by the time of day, whether it’s hot or cold outside and even whether the person just had something to eat or drink. Readings can also vary from thermometer to thermometer, depending on how they are calibrated.\nComparing historical and modern-day data gives you “a hodgepodge mixture of observations,” said Dr. Philip Mackowiak, an emeritus professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who, in a\n1992 paper\n, was one of the first researchers to scrutinize Dr. Wunderlich’s conclusions. The drop in temperature may be “a true phenomenon,” he added, “but there’s no way of knowing because the data are so varied.”\nOther experts think humans really have gotten cooler over the past 150 years. Our temperatures may have declined because “we are so lucky to be healthier than we used to be,” said Dr. Julie Parsonnet, a professor of medicine and of epidemiology and population health at Stanford Medicine, who led the September\nstudy\non body temperature.\nFor instance, it could be that many people in Dr. Wunderlich’s sample had slightly elevated temperatures from low-grade inflammation. Better treatment of infections, improved\ndental care\nand the development and use of medications like statins and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may all have contributed to a decline in inflammation since the 19th century, which in turn lowered people’s average temperature, Dr. Parsonnet said.\nRegardless of the reason for the shift, the experts interviewed for this article agreed that 98.6 degrees should no longer be considered the universal human standard. But instead of shifting the average temperature down a degree or so, it should be given as a range, said Dr. Waleed Javaid, a professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who published a\n2019 review paper\non body temperature.\nHow we choose health experts to talk to.\n \nTimes reporters often spend weeks interviewing doctors, researchers and other health professionals to help report an article. We seek leaders in their fields, watch out for conflicts of interest and try to get a variety of viewpoints.\nA range would account for the natural variability in temperature that occurs across gender and age — women tend to run slightly warmer than men, and older adults run cooler than younger people. Additionally, everyone’s body temperature fluctuates throughout the day — it is typically lowest in the morning and highest in the late afternoon.\n“Like there’s a range for heart rate, there’s a range for blood pressure,” temperature also has a range, Dr. Javaid said.\nWhat counts as a fever\nIf we redefine “normal” human body temperature, then what registers as abnormal?\nThe\nCenters for Disease Control and Prevention\nsays that temperatures of 100.4 and above qualify as a fever — a roughly two-degree increase from 98.6. But if the average human temperature is lower, it’s possible that the temperature indicating a fever could be lower, as well.\nDr. Parsonnet would like to see a personalized approach to fever, where doctors compare each patient against their own baseline so that low-grade fevers aren’t missed in people who run cooler. The mission is somewhat personal for her: Dr. Parsonnet’s mother-in-law has a heart infection that went undiagnosed for months because she never registered as being feverish. Her temperature was around 98.6, but, Dr. Parsonnet said, that “was not normal for her, for her age.”\nTo Dr. Mackowiak, this individualized approach would be ideal, but it’s unrealistic given the time constraints doctors and nurses are already under.\nHe and Dr. Javaid are also not as concerned about the possibility of low-grade fevers being missed because of the current temperature standards. Instead of changing the definition of a fever, they said the solution may be to place less of an emphasis on fever overall, and to think of it as one sign among many — something that many doctors already do. (This advice applies to parents, as well as physicians.)\nIf a temperature is sky-high, that’s important information, Dr. Javaid said, but “the temperature is not the only thing one should look at.”\nDana G. Smith\nis a reporter for the Well section, where she has written about everything from psychedelic therapy to exercise trends to Covid-19.\nA version of this article appears in print on\nOct. 17, 2023\n, Section D, Page 7 of the New York edition with the headline: We Are Running Cooler, on Average\n.\nOrder Reprints\n|\nToday’s Paper\n|\nSubscribe\nRelated Content\nMore in Live\nEric Helgas for The New York Times\nSonia Pulido\nEric Helgas for The New York Times\nJavier Jaén\nEditors’ Picks\nMiguel Porlan\nAram Herrera\/Airs Cloud Media for Sotheby’s International Realty\nTrending in The Times\nJay Daniel Wright\nJason Grow\nBrittany Greeson for The New York Times\nLila Barth for The New York Times\nNick Cann Photography\nArturo Holmes\/Getty Images\nSan Francisco Fire Department\nGretchen Gause\nAdvertisement\nSKIP ADVERTISEMENT","attrs_markdown":"[Skip to content](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/10\/12\/well\/live\/fever-normal-body-temperature.html#site-content)[Skip to site index](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/10\/12\/well\/live\/fever-normal-body-temperature.html#site-index)\n\nSearch & Section Navigation\n\nSection Navigation\n\nSearch\n\n[Live](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/well)\n\n[Log in](https:\/\/myaccount.nytimes.com\/auth\/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Fsubscription%2Fonboarding-offer%3FcampaignId%3D7JFJX%26EXIT_URI%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.nytimes.com%252F2023%252F10%252F12%252Fwell%252Flive%252Ffever-normal-body-temperature.html&asset=masthead)\n\nSaturday, January 31, 2026\n\n[Today’s Paper](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/todayspaper)\n\n[Live](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/well)\\|The Average Human Body Temperature Is Not 98.6 Degrees\n\nhttps:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/10\/12\/well\/live\/fever-normal-body-temperature.html\n\n- Share full article\n- 1k\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/10\/12\/well\/live\/fever-normal-body-temperature.html#after-top)\n\nSupported by\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/10\/12\/well\/live\/fever-normal-body-temperature.html#after-sponsor)\n# The Average Human Body Temperature Is Not 98.6 Degrees\nHere’s why we appear to be getting cooler, and what that could mean when it comes to fevers.\n\n- Share full article\n- 1k\n\n![An illustration of a mercury thermometer in the shape of a staircase. At the bottom is a cool, blue tone, which turns to a yellow and red gradient as the stairs ascend. On each step are characters in blue and red to show a range of temperatures. ](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2023\/10\/17\/well\/12Well-Fever\/12Well-Fever-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nCredit...Pete Gamlen\n\n[![Dana G. Smith](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2023\/04\/25\/reader-center\/author-dana-smith\/author-dana-smith-thumbLarge.png)](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/dana-smith)\n\nBy [Dana G. Smith](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/dana-smith)\n\nOct. 12, 2023\n\nOver the past few decades, evidence has been mounting that the average human body temperature is not really 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead, most people’s baseline is a little bit cooler.\n\nThe standard of 98.6 was established over 150 years ago by the German physician Dr. Carl Wunderlich, who reportedly took over a million measurements from 25,000 people. Temperatures ranged from 97.2 to 99.5, and the average was 98.6. Dr. Wunderlich also established 100.4 degrees as “probably febrile.”\n\nHowever, a [study](https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamainternalmedicine\/article-abstract\/2809098) published in September that evaluated the temperatures of more than 126,000 people between 2008 and 2017 found that the average is closer to 97.9 degrees. Other modern-day studies have reported [similar numbers](https:\/\/www.bmj.com\/content\/359\/bmj.j5468).\n\nExperts who study body temperature have differing opinions about why we appear to have gotten cooler over time, and whether that matters when it comes to evaluating fevers and diagnosing infections.\n\n## Why 98.6 is off base\nSome researchers say it could just be a measurement issue — Dr. Wunderlich might have assessed temperatures using different methods and standards than we do today. [One account](https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/qjmed\/article\/95\/4\/251\/1562440) reports that he used a foot-long thermometer that went into a person’s armpit.\n\nMany factors can influence a body temperature reading, the most significant being where you take it: Rectal temperatures are reliably higher than oral temperatures, which are reliably higher than readings taken from the skin. Body temperature is also influenced by the time of day, whether it’s hot or cold outside and even whether the person just had something to eat or drink. Readings can also vary from thermometer to thermometer, depending on how they are calibrated.\n\nComparing historical and modern-day data gives you “a hodgepodge mixture of observations,” said Dr. Philip Mackowiak, an emeritus professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who, in a [1992 paper](https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/1302471\/), was one of the first researchers to scrutinize Dr. Wunderlich’s conclusions. The drop in temperature may be “a true phenomenon,” he added, “but there’s no way of knowing because the data are so varied.”\n\nOther experts think humans really have gotten cooler over the past 150 years. Our temperatures may have declined because “we are so lucky to be healthier than we used to be,” said Dr. Julie Parsonnet, a professor of medicine and of epidemiology and population health at Stanford Medicine, who led the September [study](https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamainternalmedicine\/article-abstract\/2809098) on body temperature.\n\nFor instance, it could be that many people in Dr. Wunderlich’s sample had slightly elevated temperatures from low-grade inflammation. Better treatment of infections, improved [dental care](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/04\/06\/well\/oral-health-hygiene.html) and the development and use of medications like statins and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may all have contributed to a decline in inflammation since the 19th century, which in turn lowered people’s average temperature, Dr. Parsonnet said.\n\n## Editors’ Picks\n[![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/20\/t-magazine\/20tmag-friends-slide-FZ4C-copy\/20tmag-friends-slide-FZ4C-copy-thumbLarge.jpg)How to Make Friends as an Adult](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/article\/how-to-make-friends-as-an-adult.html)\n\n[![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/01\/multimedia\/30ST-VOWS-BIRDING-01-gwfz\/30ST-VOWS-BIRDING-01-gwfz-thumbLarge.jpg)Love Took Flight With Birds of a Feather](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/30\/style\/emily-diamond-david-meadows-wedding.html)\n\n[![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/28\/magazine\/28mag-ethicist-online-only\/28mag-ethicist-online-only-thumbLarge.jpg)Can I Tell a Member of My Church That I Recognize Him from a Dating App?](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/28\/magazine\/recognize-dating-app-ethics.html)\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/10\/12\/well\/live\/fever-normal-body-temperature.html#after-pp_edpick)\n\nRegardless of the reason for the shift, the experts interviewed for this article agreed that 98.6 degrees should no longer be considered the universal human standard. But instead of shifting the average temperature down a degree or so, it should be given as a range, said Dr. Waleed Javaid, a professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who published a [2019 review paper](https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/30976605\/) on body temperature.\n\nHow we choose health experts to talk to. Times reporters often spend weeks interviewing doctors, researchers and other health professionals to help report an article. We seek leaders in their fields, watch out for conflicts of interest and try to get a variety of viewpoints.\n\n[Here’s more on our process.](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/09\/16\/well\/how-health-reporters-choose-experts.html)\n\nA range would account for the natural variability in temperature that occurs across gender and age — women tend to run slightly warmer than men, and older adults run cooler than younger people. Additionally, everyone’s body temperature fluctuates throughout the day — it is typically lowest in the morning and highest in the late afternoon.\n\n“Like there’s a range for heart rate, there’s a range for blood pressure,” temperature also has a range, Dr. Javaid said.\n\n## What counts as a fever\nIf we redefine “normal” human body temperature, then what registers as abnormal?\n\nThe [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention](https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/quarantine\/air\/reporting-deaths-illness\/definitions-symptoms-reportable-illnesses.html) says that temperatures of 100.4 and above qualify as a fever — a roughly two-degree increase from 98.6. But if the average human temperature is lower, it’s possible that the temperature indicating a fever could be lower, as well.\n\nDr. Parsonnet would like to see a personalized approach to fever, where doctors compare each patient against their own baseline so that low-grade fevers aren’t missed in people who run cooler. The mission is somewhat personal for her: Dr. Parsonnet’s mother-in-law has a heart infection that went undiagnosed for months because she never registered as being feverish. Her temperature was around 98.6, but, Dr. Parsonnet said, that “was not normal for her, for her age.”\n\nTo Dr. Mackowiak, this individualized approach would be ideal, but it’s unrealistic given the time constraints doctors and nurses are already under.\n\nHe and Dr. Javaid are also not as concerned about the possibility of low-grade fevers being missed because of the current temperature standards. Instead of changing the definition of a fever, they said the solution may be to place less of an emphasis on fever overall, and to think of it as one sign among many — something that many doctors already do. (This advice applies to parents, as well as physicians.)\n\nIf a temperature is sky-high, that’s important information, Dr. Javaid said, but “the temperature is not the only thing one should look at.”\n\n[Dana G. Smith](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/dana-smith) is a reporter for the Well section, where she has written about everything from psychedelic therapy to exercise trends to Covid-19.\n\nA version of this article appears in print on Oct. 17, 2023, Section D, Page 7 of the New York edition with the headline: We Are Running Cooler, on Average. [Order Reprints](https:\/\/nytimes.wrightsmedia.com\/) \\| [Today’s Paper](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/todayspaper) \\| [Subscribe](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscriptions\/Multiproduct\/lp8HYKU.html?campaignId=48JQY)\n\nRead 1,045 comments\n\n- Share full article\n- 1k\n\n***\n## Discover More in Health and Science\n***\n- **Decoding the Human Genome**: Using artificial intelligence, [AlphaGenome is a leap forward in the ability](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/28\/science\/alphagenome-ai-deepmind-genetics.html) to study the human blueprint. But the fine workings of our DNA are still largely a mystery.\n- **Pill Bugs as Pets:** A robust, largely unregulated online trade in isopods [could pose a serious threat to some vulnerable species](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/28\/climate\/isopods-pillbugs-for-sale-online.html), scientists warn.\n- **Another Head-Butting Dinosaur****:** A newly discovered raptor had a knobby bump on its head, suggesting that, like some larger dinosaurs, [it engaged in competitive head bashing](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/27\/science\/raptor-fossil-dinosaur-skull.html).\n- **Oldest Tools Found:** Two new studies, on a 500,000-year-old bone hammer and on 430,000-year-old wooden tools, [suggest early hominins in Europe were creating tools from raw materials](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/26\/science\/archaeology-neanderthals-tools.html) hundreds of thousands of years before Homo sapiens arrived there.\n\n## Related Content\n### [More in Live](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/well)\n- [What Can You Do About Tinnitus?](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/29\/well\/live\/tinnitus-treatment-options.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/05\/06\/well\/29ASKWELL-TINNITUS2\/29ASKWELL-TINNITUS2-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Eric Helgas for The New York Times\n- [A Longevity Expert’s 5 Tips for Aging Well](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/05\/06\/well\/live\/eric-topol-longevity-tips.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/05\/13\/well\/06WELL-TOPOL-LONGEVITY\/06WELL-TOPOL-LONGEVITY-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Sonia Pulido\n- [What’s the Best Way to Wake Up?](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/05\/06\/well\/live\/healthy-morning-habits.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/05\/13\/multimedia\/06ASKWELL-WAKING-UP1-hmgk\/06ASKWELL-WAKING-UP1-hmgk-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Eric Helgas for The New York Times\n- [Your Weed Habit May Be Messing With Your Sperm](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/04\/03\/well\/live\/marijuana-sperm-male-fertility.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/04\/08\/well\/28WELL-WEED-FERTILITY-image\/28WELL-WEED-FERTILITY-image-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Javier Jaén\n\n### Editors’ Picks\n- [Why Do Houseguests Expect Us to Pay for Any Food During Their Visits?](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/28\/style\/houseguests-cost-splitting.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/06\/20\/fashion\/socialqs-2021-artwork\/socialqs-2021-artwork-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Miguel Porlan\n- [Gene Hackman’s Santa Fe Compound Is for Sale a Year After His Death](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/30\/realestate\/gene-hackman-armani-house-sales.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/30\/multimedia\/30re-ticket-hackman-01-blth\/30re-ticket-hackman-01-blth-square640-v2.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Aram Herrera\/Airs Cloud Media for Sotheby’s International Realty\n\n### Trending in The Times\n- [How Strong Is Your Financial Knowledge? Take Our Quiz.](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/30\/business\/financial-knowledge-quiz.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/28\/business\/00Biz-Financial-Quiz-33\/00Biz-Financial-Quiz-33-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Jay Daniel Wright\n- [Genes May Control Your Longevity, However Healthily You Live](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/29\/health\/longevity-lifespan-age-genes.html)\n  \n  ![Centenarian siblings, Mildred MacIsaac, left, and Agnes Buckley, were participants in the Long Life Family Study out of Boston University in 2016, when Mildred was 100 and Agnes was 103.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29\/science\/29HS-life-span\/29HS-life-span-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Jason Grow\n- [Costco Is Sued Over Preservatives in Its \\$5 Rotisserie Chickens](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/29\/business\/costco-chicken-lawsuit-preservatives.html)\n  \n  ![Two plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Costco said they would not have bought rotisserie chickens if they knew they contained food additives.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29\/multimedia\/29xp-chicken-lpfg\/29xp-chicken-lpfg-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Brittany Greeson for The New York Times\n- [Book Clubs Get Swept Away by ‘Wuthering Heights’](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/01\/29\/style\/wuthering-heights-movie-2026-margot-robbie.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29\/fashion\/29ST-WUTHERING-NEW-READERS-promo\/29ST-WUTHERING-NEW-READERS-promo-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Lila Barth for The New York Times\n- [These Machines Melt Snow Off of NYC Streets in Seconds](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/video\/nyregion\/newyorktoday\/100000010674988\/nyc-snow-removal-storm.html)\n  \n  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journalism.”](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29\/multimedia\/00dc-lemon-arrest-cfwh\/00dc-lemon-arrest-cfwh-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Arturo Holmes\/Getty Images\n- [Mountain Lion Spotted in San Francisco](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/video\/us\/100000010672253\/san-francisco-mountain-lion.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/27\/multimedia\/27nat-mountain-lion-ghqf\/27nat-mountain-lion-ghqf-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  San Francisco Fire Department\n- [Who Is Trump’s New Fed Chair Pick?](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/video\/business\/economy\/100000010629457\/who-is-trumps-new-fed-chair-pick.html)\n  \n  ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/07\/business\/economy\/colby-thumb-1\/colby-thumb-1-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n- [How Benjamin Franklin Helped Bring Them 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Navigation\n- [© 2026 The New York Times Company](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115014792127-Copyright-Notice)\n\n- [NYTCo](https:\/\/www.nytco.com\/)\n- [Contact Us](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115015385887-Contact-The-New-York-Times)\n- [Accessibility](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115015727108-Accessibility)\n- [Work with us](https:\/\/www.nytco.com\/careers\/)\n- [Advertise](https:\/\/advertising.nytimes.com\/)\n- [T Brand Studio](https:\/\/advertising.nytimes.com\/custom-content\/)\n- [Privacy Policy](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/10940941449492-The-New-York-Times-Company-Privacy-Policy)\n- [Cookie Policy](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/privacy\/cookie-policy)\n- [Terms of Service](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115014893428-Terms-of-Service)\n- [Terms of Sale](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us\/articles\/115014893968-Terms-of-Sale)\n- [Site Map](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/sitemap\/)\n- [Canada](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/ca\/)\n- [International](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/international\/)\n- [Help](https:\/\/help.nytimes.com\/hc\/en-us)\n- [Subscriptions](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscription?campaignId=37WXW)","attrs_readable_markdown":"Advertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/10\/12\/well\/live\/fever-normal-body-temperature.html#after-top)\n\nHere’s why we appear to be getting cooler, and what that could mean when it comes to fevers.\n\n![An illustration of a mercury thermometer in the shape of a staircase. At the bottom is a cool, blue tone, which turns to a yellow and red gradient as the stairs ascend. On each step are characters in blue and red to show a range of temperatures. ](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2023\/10\/17\/well\/12Well-Fever\/12Well-Fever-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n\nCredit...Pete Gamlen\n\nOct. 12, 2023\n\nOver the past few decades, evidence has been mounting that the average human body temperature is not really 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead, most people’s baseline is a little bit cooler.\n\nThe standard of 98.6 was established over 150 years ago by the German physician Dr. Carl Wunderlich, who reportedly took over a million measurements from 25,000 people. Temperatures ranged from 97.2 to 99.5, and the average was 98.6. Dr. Wunderlich also established 100.4 degrees as “probably febrile.”\n\nHowever, a [study](https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamainternalmedicine\/article-abstract\/2809098) published in September that evaluated the temperatures of more than 126,000 people between 2008 and 2017 found that the average is closer to 97.9 degrees. Other modern-day studies have reported [similar numbers](https:\/\/www.bmj.com\/content\/359\/bmj.j5468).\n\nExperts who study body temperature have differing opinions about why we appear to have gotten cooler over time, and whether that matters when it comes to evaluating fevers and diagnosing infections.\n\n## Why 98.6 is off base\nSome researchers say it could just be a measurement issue — Dr. Wunderlich might have assessed temperatures using different methods and standards than we do today. [One account](https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/qjmed\/article\/95\/4\/251\/1562440) reports that he used a foot-long thermometer that went into a person’s armpit.\n\nMany factors can influence a body temperature reading, the most significant being where you take it: Rectal temperatures are reliably higher than oral temperatures, which are reliably higher than readings taken from the skin. Body temperature is also influenced by the time of day, whether it’s hot or cold outside and even whether the person just had something to eat or drink. Readings can also vary from thermometer to thermometer, depending on how they are calibrated.\n\nComparing historical and modern-day data gives you “a hodgepodge mixture of observations,” said Dr. Philip Mackowiak, an emeritus professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who, in a [1992 paper](https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/1302471\/), was one of the first researchers to scrutinize Dr. Wunderlich’s conclusions. The drop in temperature may be “a true phenomenon,” he added, “but there’s no way of knowing because the data are so varied.”\n\nOther experts think humans really have gotten cooler over the past 150 years. Our temperatures may have declined because “we are so lucky to be healthier than we used to be,” said Dr. Julie Parsonnet, a professor of medicine and of epidemiology and population health at Stanford Medicine, who led the September [study](https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamainternalmedicine\/article-abstract\/2809098) on body temperature.\n\nFor instance, it could be that many people in Dr. Wunderlich’s sample had slightly elevated temperatures from low-grade inflammation. Better treatment of infections, improved [dental care](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/04\/06\/well\/oral-health-hygiene.html) and the development and use of medications like statins and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may all have contributed to a decline in inflammation since the 19th century, which in turn lowered people’s average temperature, Dr. Parsonnet said.\n\nRegardless of the reason for the shift, the experts interviewed for this article agreed that 98.6 degrees should no longer be considered the universal human standard. But instead of shifting the average temperature down a degree or so, it should be given as a range, said Dr. Waleed Javaid, a professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who published a [2019 review paper](https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/30976605\/) on body temperature.\n\nHow we choose health experts to talk to. Times reporters often spend weeks interviewing doctors, researchers and other health professionals to help report an article. We seek leaders in their fields, watch out for conflicts of interest and try to get a variety of viewpoints.\n\nA range would account for the natural variability in temperature that occurs across gender and age — women tend to run slightly warmer than men, and older adults run cooler than younger people. Additionally, everyone’s body temperature fluctuates throughout the day — it is typically lowest in the morning and highest in the late afternoon.\n\n“Like there’s a range for heart rate, there’s a range for blood pressure,” temperature also has a range, Dr. Javaid said.\n\n## What counts as a fever\nIf we redefine “normal” human body temperature, then what registers as abnormal?\n\nThe [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention](https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/quarantine\/air\/reporting-deaths-illness\/definitions-symptoms-reportable-illnesses.html) says that temperatures of 100.4 and above qualify as a fever — a roughly two-degree increase from 98.6. But if the average human temperature is lower, it’s possible that the temperature indicating a fever could be lower, as well.\n\nDr. Parsonnet would like to see a personalized approach to fever, where doctors compare each patient against their own baseline so that low-grade fevers aren’t missed in people who run cooler. The mission is somewhat personal for her: Dr. Parsonnet’s mother-in-law has a heart infection that went undiagnosed for months because she never registered as being feverish. Her temperature was around 98.6, but, Dr. Parsonnet said, that “was not normal for her, for her age.”\n\nTo Dr. Mackowiak, this individualized approach would be ideal, but it’s unrealistic given the time constraints doctors and nurses are already under.\n\nHe and Dr. Javaid are also not as concerned about the possibility of low-grade fevers being missed because of the current temperature standards. Instead of changing the definition of a fever, they said the solution may be to place less of an emphasis on fever overall, and to think of it as one sign among many — something that many doctors already do. (This advice applies to parents, as well as physicians.)\n\nIf a temperature is sky-high, that’s important information, Dr. Javaid said, but “the temperature is not the only thing one should look at.”\n\n[Dana G. Smith](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/by\/dana-smith) is a reporter for the Well section, where she has written about everything from psychedelic therapy to exercise trends to Covid-19.\n\nA version of this article appears in print on Oct. 17, 2023, Section D, Page 7 of the New York edition with the headline: We Are Running Cooler, on Average. [Order Reprints](https:\/\/nytimes.wrightsmedia.com\/) \\| [Today’s Paper](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/todayspaper) \\| [Subscribe](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/subscriptions\/Multiproduct\/lp8HYKU.html?campaignId=48JQY)\n\n## Related Content\n[More in Live](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/section\/well)\n\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/05\/06\/well\/29ASKWELL-TINNITUS2\/29ASKWELL-TINNITUS2-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Eric Helgas for The New York Times\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/05\/13\/well\/06WELL-TOPOL-LONGEVITY\/06WELL-TOPOL-LONGEVITY-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Sonia Pulido\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/05\/13\/multimedia\/06ASKWELL-WAKING-UP1-hmgk\/06ASKWELL-WAKING-UP1-hmgk-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Eric Helgas for The New York Times\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/04\/08\/well\/28WELL-WEED-FERTILITY-image\/28WELL-WEED-FERTILITY-image-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Javier Jaén\n\nEditors’ Picks\n\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2021\/06\/20\/fashion\/socialqs-2021-artwork\/socialqs-2021-artwork-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Miguel Porlan\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/30\/multimedia\/30re-ticket-hackman-01-blth\/30re-ticket-hackman-01-blth-square640-v2.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale)\n  \n  Aram Herrera\/Airs Cloud Media for Sotheby’s International Realty\n\nTrending in The Times\n\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/28\/business\/00Biz-Financial-Quiz-33\/00Biz-Financial-Quiz-33-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Jay Daniel Wright\n- ![Centenarian siblings, Mildred MacIsaac, left, and Agnes Buckley, were participants in the Long Life Family Study out of Boston University in 2016, when Mildred was 100 and Agnes was 103.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29\/science\/29HS-life-span\/29HS-life-span-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Jason Grow\n- ![Two plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Costco said they would not have bought rotisserie chickens if they knew they contained food additives.](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29\/multimedia\/29xp-chicken-lpfg\/29xp-chicken-lpfg-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Brittany Greeson for The New York Times\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29\/fashion\/29ST-WUTHERING-NEW-READERS-promo\/29ST-WUTHERING-NEW-READERS-promo-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Lila Barth for The New York Times\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/27\/nyregion\/newyorktoday\/Heather-Khalifa-for-The-New-York-Times_IMG_8661-1769618360078-1080p_og\/Heather-Khalifa-for-The-New-York-Times_IMG_8661-1769618360078-1080p_og-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/28\/realestate\/28re-wyg-Charleston-01\/28re-wyg-Charleston-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Nick Cann Photography\n- ![Don Lemon has defended his actions at a church in St. Paul, Minn., as “an act of journalism.”](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/29\/multimedia\/00dc-lemon-arrest-cfwh\/00dc-lemon-arrest-cfwh-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Arturo Holmes\/Getty Images\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/27\/multimedia\/27nat-mountain-lion-ghqf\/27nat-mountain-lion-ghqf-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  San Francisco Fire Department\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/01\/07\/business\/economy\/colby-thumb-1\/colby-thumb-1-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n- ![](https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2026\/02\/01\/fashion\/00MINI-Teubner-McGuiness\/00MINI-Teubner-McGuiness-square640.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale&width=350)\n  \n  Gretchen Gause\n\nAdvertisement\n\n[SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/10\/12\/well\/live\/fever-normal-body-temperature.html#after-bottom)","meta_canonical":null}

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Meta Title	What Is a Fever? Why Your Body Temperature May Be Cooler Than 98.6 Degrees - The New York Times
Meta Description	Here’s why we appear to be getting cooler, and what that could mean when it comes to fevers.
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Boilerpipe Text	Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT Here’s why we appear to be getting cooler, and what that could mean when it comes to fevers. Credit... Pete Gamlen Oct. 12, 2023 Over the past few decades, evidence has been mounting that the average human body temperature is not really 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead, most people’s baseline is a little bit cooler. The standard of 98.6 was established over 150 years ago by the German physician Dr. Carl Wunderlich, who reportedly took over a million measurements from 25,000 people. Temperatures ranged from 97.2 to 99.5, and the average was 98.6. Dr. Wunderlich also established 100.4 degrees as “probably febrile.” However, a study published in September that evaluated the temperatures of more than 126,000 people between 2008 and 2017 found that the average is closer to 97.9 degrees. Other modern-day studies have reported similar numbers . Experts who study body temperature have differing opinions about why we appear to have gotten cooler over time, and whether that matters when it comes to evaluating fevers and diagnosing infections. Why 98.6 is off base Some researchers say it could just be a measurement issue — Dr. Wunderlich might have assessed temperatures using different methods and standards than we do today. One account reports that he used a foot-long thermometer that went into a person’s armpit. Many factors can influence a body temperature reading, the most significant being where you take it: Rectal temperatures are reliably higher than oral temperatures, which are reliably higher than readings taken from the skin. Body temperature is also influenced by the time of day, whether it’s hot or cold outside and even whether the person just had something to eat or drink. Readings can also vary from thermometer to thermometer, depending on how they are calibrated. Comparing historical and modern-day data gives you “a hodgepodge mixture of observations,” said Dr. Philip Mackowiak, an emeritus professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who, in a 1992 paper , was one of the first researchers to scrutinize Dr. Wunderlich’s conclusions. The drop in temperature may be “a true phenomenon,” he added, “but there’s no way of knowing because the data are so varied.” Other experts think humans really have gotten cooler over the past 150 years. Our temperatures may have declined because “we are so lucky to be healthier than we used to be,” said Dr. Julie Parsonnet, a professor of medicine and of epidemiology and population health at Stanford Medicine, who led the September study on body temperature. For instance, it could be that many people in Dr. Wunderlich’s sample had slightly elevated temperatures from low-grade inflammation. Better treatment of infections, improved dental care and the development and use of medications like statins and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may all have contributed to a decline in inflammation since the 19th century, which in turn lowered people’s average temperature, Dr. Parsonnet said. Regardless of the reason for the shift, the experts interviewed for this article agreed that 98.6 degrees should no longer be considered the universal human standard. But instead of shifting the average temperature down a degree or so, it should be given as a range, said Dr. Waleed Javaid, a professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who published a 2019 review paper on body temperature. How we choose health experts to talk to. Times reporters often spend weeks interviewing doctors, researchers and other health professionals to help report an article. We seek leaders in their fields, watch out for conflicts of interest and try to get a variety of viewpoints. A range would account for the natural variability in temperature that occurs across gender and age — women tend to run slightly warmer than men, and older adults run cooler than younger people. Additionally, everyone’s body temperature fluctuates throughout the day — it is typically lowest in the morning and highest in the late afternoon. “Like there’s a range for heart rate, there’s a range for blood pressure,” temperature also has a range, Dr. Javaid said. What counts as a fever If we redefine “normal” human body temperature, then what registers as abnormal? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that temperatures of 100.4 and above qualify as a fever — a roughly two-degree increase from 98.6. But if the average human temperature is lower, it’s possible that the temperature indicating a fever could be lower, as well. Dr. Parsonnet would like to see a personalized approach to fever, where doctors compare each patient against their own baseline so that low-grade fevers aren’t missed in people who run cooler. The mission is somewhat personal for her: Dr. Parsonnet’s mother-in-law has a heart infection that went undiagnosed for months because she never registered as being feverish. Her temperature was around 98.6, but, Dr. Parsonnet said, that “was not normal for her, for her age.” To Dr. Mackowiak, this individualized approach would be ideal, but it’s unrealistic given the time constraints doctors and nurses are already under. He and Dr. Javaid are also not as concerned about the possibility of low-grade fevers being missed because of the current temperature standards. Instead of changing the definition of a fever, they said the solution may be to place less of an emphasis on fever overall, and to think of it as one sign among many — something that many doctors already do. (This advice applies to parents, as well as physicians.) If a temperature is sky-high, that’s important information, Dr. Javaid said, but “the temperature is not the only thing one should look at.” Dana G. Smith is a reporter for the Well section, where she has written about everything from psychedelic therapy to exercise trends to Covid-19. A version of this article appears in print on Oct. 17, 2023 , Section D, Page 7 of the New York edition with the headline: We Are Running Cooler, on Average . Order Reprints \| Today’s Paper \| Subscribe Related Content More in Live Eric Helgas for The New York Times Sonia Pulido Eric Helgas for The New York Times Javier Jaén Editors’ Picks Miguel Porlan Aram Herrera/Airs Cloud Media for Sotheby’s International Realty Trending in The Times Jay Daniel Wright Jason Grow Brittany Greeson for The New York Times Lila Barth for The New York Times Nick Cann Photography Arturo Holmes/Getty Images San Francisco Fire Department Gretchen Gause Advertisement SKIP ADVERTISEMENT
Markdown	[Skip to content](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/well/live/fever-normal-body-temperature.html#site-content)[Skip to site index](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/well/live/fever-normal-body-temperature.html#site-index) Search & Section Navigation Section Navigation Search [Live](https://www.nytimes.com/section/well) [Log in](https://myaccount.nytimes.com/auth/login?response_type=cookie&client_id=vi&redirect_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nytimes.com%2Fsubscription%2Fonboarding-offer%3FcampaignId%3D7JFJX%26EXIT_URI%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.nytimes.com%252F2023%252F10%252F12%252Fwell%252Flive%252Ffever-normal-body-temperature.html&asset=masthead) Saturday, January 31, 2026 [Today’s Paper](https://www.nytimes.com/section/todayspaper) [Live](https://www.nytimes.com/section/well)\\|The Average Human Body Temperature Is Not 98.6 Degrees https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/well/live/fever-normal-body-temperature.html - Share full article - 1k Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/well/live/fever-normal-body-temperature.html#after-top) Supported by [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/well/live/fever-normal-body-temperature.html#after-sponsor) # The Average Human Body Temperature Is Not 98.6 Degrees Here’s why we appear to be getting cooler, and what that could mean when it comes to fevers. - Share full article - 1k ![An illustration of a mercury thermometer in the shape of a staircase. At the bottom is a cool, blue tone, which turns to a yellow and red gradient as the stairs ascend. On each step are characters in blue and red to show a range of temperatures. ](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/17/well/12Well-Fever/12Well-Fever-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Credit...Pete Gamlen [![Dana G. Smith](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2023/04/25/reader-center/author-dana-smith/author-dana-smith-thumbLarge.png)](https://www.nytimes.com/by/dana-smith) By [Dana G. Smith](https://www.nytimes.com/by/dana-smith) Oct. 12, 2023 Over the past few decades, evidence has been mounting that the average human body temperature is not really 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead, most people’s baseline is a little bit cooler. The standard of 98.6 was established over 150 years ago by the German physician Dr. Carl Wunderlich, who reportedly took over a million measurements from 25,000 people. Temperatures ranged from 97.2 to 99.5, and the average was 98.6. Dr. Wunderlich also established 100.4 degrees as “probably febrile.” However, a [study](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2809098) published in September that evaluated the temperatures of more than 126,000 people between 2008 and 2017 found that the average is closer to 97.9 degrees. Other modern-day studies have reported [similar numbers](https://www.bmj.com/content/359/bmj.j5468). Experts who study body temperature have differing opinions about why we appear to have gotten cooler over time, and whether that matters when it comes to evaluating fevers and diagnosing infections. ## Why 98.6 is off base Some researchers say it could just be a measurement issue — Dr. Wunderlich might have assessed temperatures using different methods and standards than we do today. [One account](https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article/95/4/251/1562440) reports that he used a foot-long thermometer that went into a person’s armpit. Many factors can influence a body temperature reading, the most significant being where you take it: Rectal temperatures are reliably higher than oral temperatures, which are reliably higher than readings taken from the skin. Body temperature is also influenced by the time of day, whether it’s hot or cold outside and even whether the person just had something to eat or drink. Readings can also vary from thermometer to thermometer, depending on how they are calibrated. Comparing historical and modern-day data gives you “a hodgepodge mixture of observations,” said Dr. Philip Mackowiak, an emeritus professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who, in a [1992 paper](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1302471/), was one of the first researchers to scrutinize Dr. Wunderlich’s conclusions. The drop in temperature may be “a true phenomenon,” he added, “but there’s no way of knowing because the data are so varied.” Other experts think humans really have gotten cooler over the past 150 years. Our temperatures may have declined because “we are so lucky to be healthier than we used to be,” said Dr. Julie Parsonnet, a professor of medicine and of epidemiology and population health at Stanford Medicine, who led the September [study](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2809098) on body temperature. For instance, it could be that many people in Dr. Wunderlich’s sample had slightly elevated temperatures from low-grade inflammation. Better treatment of infections, improved [dental care](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/06/well/oral-health-hygiene.html) and the development and use of medications like statins and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may all have contributed to a decline in inflammation since the 19th century, which in turn lowered people’s average temperature, Dr. Parsonnet said. ## Editors’ Picks [![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/01/20/t-magazine/20tmag-friends-slide-FZ4C-copy/20tmag-friends-slide-FZ4C-copy-thumbLarge.jpg)How to Make Friends as an Adult](https://www.nytimes.com/article/how-to-make-friends-as-an-adult.html) [![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/02/01/multimedia/30ST-VOWS-BIRDING-01-gwfz/30ST-VOWS-BIRDING-01-gwfz-thumbLarge.jpg)Love Took Flight With Birds of a Feather](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/30/style/emily-diamond-david-meadows-wedding.html) [![](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2026/01/28/magazine/28mag-ethicist-online-only/28mag-ethicist-online-only-thumbLarge.jpg)Can I Tell a Member of My Church That I Recognize Him from a Dating App?](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/magazine/recognize-dating-app-ethics.html) Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/well/live/fever-normal-body-temperature.html#after-pp_edpick) Regardless of the reason for the shift, the experts interviewed for this article agreed that 98.6 degrees should no longer be considered the universal human standard. But instead of shifting the average temperature down a degree or so, it should be given as a range, said Dr. Waleed Javaid, a professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who published a [2019 review paper](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30976605/) on body temperature. How we choose health experts to talk to. Times reporters often spend weeks interviewing doctors, researchers and other health professionals to help report an article. We seek leaders in their fields, watch out for conflicts of interest and try to get a variety of viewpoints. [Here’s more on our process.](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/16/well/how-health-reporters-choose-experts.html) A range would account for the natural variability in temperature that occurs across gender and age — women tend to run slightly warmer than men, and older adults run cooler than younger people. Additionally, everyone’s body temperature fluctuates throughout the day — it is typically lowest in the morning and highest in the late afternoon. “Like there’s a range for heart rate, there’s a range for blood pressure,” temperature also has a range, Dr. Javaid said. ## What counts as a fever If we redefine “normal” human body temperature, then what registers as abnormal? The [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention](https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/air/reporting-deaths-illness/definitions-symptoms-reportable-illnesses.html) says that temperatures of 100.4 and above qualify as a fever — a roughly two-degree increase from 98.6. But if the average human temperature is lower, it’s possible that the temperature indicating a fever could be lower, as well. Dr. Parsonnet would like to see a personalized approach to fever, where doctors compare each patient against their own baseline so that low-grade fevers aren’t missed in people who run cooler. The mission is somewhat personal for her: Dr. Parsonnet’s mother-in-law has a heart infection that went undiagnosed for months because she never registered as being feverish. Her temperature was around 98.6, but, Dr. Parsonnet said, that “was not normal for her, for her age.” To Dr. Mackowiak, this individualized approach would be ideal, but it’s unrealistic given the time constraints doctors and nurses are already under. He and Dr. Javaid are also not as concerned about the possibility of low-grade fevers being missed because of the current temperature standards. Instead of changing the definition of a fever, they said the solution may be to place less of an emphasis on fever overall, and to think of it as one sign among many — something that many doctors already do. (This advice applies to parents, as well as physicians.) If a temperature is sky-high, that’s important information, Dr. Javaid said, but “the temperature is not the only thing one should look at.” [Dana G. Smith](https://www.nytimes.com/by/dana-smith) is a reporter for the Well section, where she has written about everything from psychedelic therapy to exercise trends to Covid-19. A version of this article appears in print on Oct. 17, 2023, Section D, Page 7 of the New York edition with the headline: We Are Running Cooler, on Average. [Order Reprints](https://nytimes.wrightsmedia.com/) \\| [Today’s Paper](https://www.nytimes.com/section/todayspaper) \\| [Subscribe](https://www.nytimes.com/subscriptions/Multiproduct/lp8HYKU.html?campaignId=48JQY) Read 1,045 comments - Share full article - 1k * ## Discover More in Health and Science * - Decoding the Human Genome: Using artificial intelligence, [AlphaGenome is a leap forward in the ability](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/28/science/alphagenome-ai-deepmind-genetics.html) to study the human blueprint. 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Readable Markdown	Advertisement [SKIP ADVERTISEMENT](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/well/live/fever-normal-body-temperature.html#after-top) Here’s why we appear to be getting cooler, and what that could mean when it comes to fevers. ![An illustration of a mercury thermometer in the shape of a staircase. At the bottom is a cool, blue tone, which turns to a yellow and red gradient as the stairs ascend. On each step are characters in blue and red to show a range of temperatures. ](https://static01.nyt.com/images/2023/10/17/well/12Well-Fever/12Well-Fever-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&auto=webp&disable=upscale) Credit...Pete Gamlen Oct. 12, 2023 Over the past few decades, evidence has been mounting that the average human body temperature is not really 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Instead, most people’s baseline is a little bit cooler. The standard of 98.6 was established over 150 years ago by the German physician Dr. Carl Wunderlich, who reportedly took over a million measurements from 25,000 people. Temperatures ranged from 97.2 to 99.5, and the average was 98.6. Dr. Wunderlich also established 100.4 degrees as “probably febrile.” However, a [study](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2809098) published in September that evaluated the temperatures of more than 126,000 people between 2008 and 2017 found that the average is closer to 97.9 degrees. Other modern-day studies have reported [similar numbers](https://www.bmj.com/content/359/bmj.j5468). Experts who study body temperature have differing opinions about why we appear to have gotten cooler over time, and whether that matters when it comes to evaluating fevers and diagnosing infections. ## Why 98.6 is off base Some researchers say it could just be a measurement issue — Dr. Wunderlich might have assessed temperatures using different methods and standards than we do today. [One account](https://academic.oup.com/qjmed/article/95/4/251/1562440) reports that he used a foot-long thermometer that went into a person’s armpit. Many factors can influence a body temperature reading, the most significant being where you take it: Rectal temperatures are reliably higher than oral temperatures, which are reliably higher than readings taken from the skin. Body temperature is also influenced by the time of day, whether it’s hot or cold outside and even whether the person just had something to eat or drink. Readings can also vary from thermometer to thermometer, depending on how they are calibrated. Comparing historical and modern-day data gives you “a hodgepodge mixture of observations,” said Dr. Philip Mackowiak, an emeritus professor of medicine at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, who, in a [1992 paper](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1302471/), was one of the first researchers to scrutinize Dr. Wunderlich’s conclusions. The drop in temperature may be “a true phenomenon,” he added, “but there’s no way of knowing because the data are so varied.” Other experts think humans really have gotten cooler over the past 150 years. Our temperatures may have declined because “we are so lucky to be healthier than we used to be,” said Dr. Julie Parsonnet, a professor of medicine and of epidemiology and population health at Stanford Medicine, who led the September [study](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2809098) on body temperature. For instance, it could be that many people in Dr. Wunderlich’s sample had slightly elevated temperatures from low-grade inflammation. Better treatment of infections, improved [dental care](https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/06/well/oral-health-hygiene.html) and the development and use of medications like statins and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may all have contributed to a decline in inflammation since the 19th century, which in turn lowered people’s average temperature, Dr. Parsonnet said. Regardless of the reason for the shift, the experts interviewed for this article agreed that 98.6 degrees should no longer be considered the universal human standard. But instead of shifting the average temperature down a degree or so, it should be given as a range, said Dr. Waleed Javaid, a professor of medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, who published a [2019 review paper](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30976605/) on body temperature. How we choose health experts to talk to. Times reporters often spend weeks interviewing doctors, researchers and other health professionals to help report an article. We seek leaders in their fields, watch out for conflicts of interest and try to get a variety of viewpoints. A range would account for the natural variability in temperature that occurs across gender and age — women tend to run slightly warmer than men, and older adults run cooler than younger people. Additionally, everyone’s body temperature fluctuates throughout the day — it is typically lowest in the morning and highest in the late afternoon. “Like there’s a range for heart rate, there’s a range for blood pressure,” temperature also has a range, Dr. Javaid said. ## What counts as a fever If we redefine “normal” human body temperature, then what registers as abnormal? The [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention](https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/air/reporting-deaths-illness/definitions-symptoms-reportable-illnesses.html) says that temperatures of 100.4 and above qualify as a fever — a roughly two-degree increase from 98.6. But if the average human temperature is lower, it’s possible that the temperature indicating a fever could be lower, as well. Dr. Parsonnet would like to see a personalized approach to fever, where doctors compare each patient against their own baseline so that low-grade fevers aren’t missed in people who run cooler. The mission is somewhat personal for her: Dr. Parsonnet’s mother-in-law has a heart infection that went undiagnosed for months because she never registered as being feverish. Her temperature was around 98.6, but, Dr. Parsonnet said, that “was not normal for her, for her age.” To Dr. Mackowiak, this individualized approach would be ideal, but it’s unrealistic given the time constraints doctors and nurses are already under. He and Dr. Javaid are also not as concerned about the possibility of low-grade fevers being missed because of the current temperature standards. Instead of changing the definition of a fever, they said the solution may be to place less of an emphasis on fever overall, and to think of it as one sign among many — something that many doctors already do. (This advice applies to parents, as well as physicians.) If a temperature is sky-high, that’s important information, Dr. Javaid said, but “the temperature is not the only thing one should look at.” [Dana G. Smith](https://www.nytimes.com/by/dana-smith) is a reporter for the Well section, where she has written about everything from psychedelic therapy to exercise trends to Covid-19. A version of this article appears in print on Oct. 17, 2023, Section D, Page 7 of the New York edition with the headline: We Are Running Cooler, on Average. 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